Israeli Parliament Approves Separate Gender Tracks for Graduate Degrees in Higher Education

The Israeli Knesset approved a legislative amendment allowing academic institutions to offer separate gender tracks for master's and doctoral degrees. The amendment to the Student Rights Law passed in a second and third reading on Thursday night with 52 votes in favor and 43 against, granting universities and the Council for Higher Education the authority to establish gender-segregated study programs. According to the law, such separation for religious reasons will not be considered discrimination, and in mixed institutions, gender separation will be permitted only within classrooms for students who request it due to their religious beliefs.

This law effectively overturns a previous Supreme Court ruling that prohibited expanding gender separation to advanced degrees. Until now, gender-segregated tracks were allowed only for undergraduate studies under strict conditions. The bill's initiator, Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech, stated the amendment aims to enable those who avoid mixed-gender studies for religious reasons to integrate into academia, restoring freedom of choice.

Education Minister Yoav Kish emphasized that the law is permissive, not mandatory, allowing institutions to decide whether to implement separate tracks. The Finance Ministry confirmed the law imposes no direct budgetary costs on higher education, though any new infrastructure needed for separate tracks would be funded by the institutions themselves.

The law's approval follows significant public and professional opposition. Presidents of research universities warned the Knesset that the move could create academic disparities, produce "second-class degrees" for women, and require double budgetary resources. Tel Aviv University President Ariel Porat declared his institution will not implement gender separation. Additionally, deans of all Israeli medical schools sent a letter opposing the law, arguing it threatens medical training quality by prioritizing gender over professional expertise, potentially harming international recognition and limiting Israeli doctors’ access to advanced training abroad.

Opposition parties and women's organizations condemned the legislation as coercive and institutionalized exclusion of women from academic spaces.