Knesset votes to allow gender-segregated post-graduate university programs

The Knesset approved legislation early Thursday allowing Israeli universities and colleges to offer gender-segregated master's and doctoral degree programs, extending an exemption already in place for many undergraduate courses.

The bill passed 52-43 and amends the Student Rights Law to clarify that separate graduate programs for religious reasons do not constitute unlawful discrimination. Supporters say the change will expand access to higher education for ultra-Orthodox and other religious students who avoid mixed-gender classrooms, while critics argue it weakens gender equality in academia.

According to the explanatory notes accompanying the legislation, the Council for Higher Education already permits gender-segregated bachelor's degree programs under certain conditions.

The amendment extends that principle to master's and doctoral studies, enabling students "who, because of their religious beliefs, are unable to participate in mixed academic studies to pursue advanced degrees in a wider range of fields."

The legislation was originally sponsored by MK Limor Son-Har Melech of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Strength) Party, who described the measure as an expansion of individual choice.

"Today, the Knesset stated clearly that genuine freedom of choice also includes the right to study separately," she said.

Son-Har Melech argued that previous policies prevented religious Israelis from pursuing advanced degrees without compromising their beliefs, adding that the new law "does not impose anything on anyone. It expands freedom, enables diversity and respects the human mosaic of Israeli society."

Opposition lawmakers countered that the legislation legitimizes gender segregation in higher education and erodes equal treatment.

MK Merav Michaeli of the Democrats party rejected supporters' arguments, saying, "There is no such thing as separate but equal."

She accused the coalition of acting "against equality between women and men, against equality in sharing the burden, against equality before the law."

Yisrael Beitenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman also condemned the measure, warning that it reflected a broader trend toward religious coercion.

"The government of the October 7 massacre is trying to turn the State of Israel into a state of ayatollahs," Liberman said.

He argued that the legislation mirrors what he described as increasing gender segregation elsewhere in Israel, adding, "I call on the heads of universities and academic institutions not to cooperate with this madness."

The bill also faced organized opposition from Israel's universities and medical schools during the legislative process.

The heads of those institutions published public letters urging lawmakers to reject the measure, arguing it could undermine academic equality and institutional independence.

The legislation is expected to face legal challenges before Israel's courts.