Let's call a spade a spade. There is nothing sanctified about what's been done to women in recent weeks in the name of Judaism and modesty. It shouldn't even be called "exclusion" of women. It is discrimination and repression on the basis of gender. The issue has gotten a lot of media attention of late, but this is not the first time it has been part of a socio-political agenda. The first women to sound the alarm and oppose religious repression were female students who led the battle against gender-separated public transportation in Jerusalem. As is often the case, students spearheaded the struggle for a more just, moral and equal society. The academic world tends to pride itself on leading the way in promoting progressive and enlightened values. At the same time, while women comprise more than half of all post-secondary students (55 percent of bachelor's degree candidates, 58% of master's degree students, and 53% of doctoral students), the list of those guilty of discriminating against women -- the IDF, advertising agencies and the Jerusalem municipality -- is expanding, and initial sparks of this deplorable phenomenon are appearing in academia as well. It is important to mention that it is acceptable and legitimate for public swimming pools to set aside hours for men only or women only out of consideration for groups who want such separation. But this is not the case when male students enter a gym and demand that women be removed in an aggressive and unjustified manner. Get the Israel Hayom newsletter sent to your mailbox! "This is a limited phenomenon," Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu said recently, using the Hebrew word "metzumtzemet." In response, a website of the same name was born. The purpose of the site is to track instances of discrimination in our society and see how widespread it really is. Among other things, the site describes modest dress requirements in public health clinics, women's inability to find employment as shopping mall security guards, and threats against schoolgirls who want to take part in talent competitions. The widespread exclusion and repression of women and girls constitutes a violation of the values of freedom, equality, pluralism, and the unique dignity of each and every one of us. We must not forget that repressing women's voices and images is the tip of an iceberg that includes systematic sexual, physical and economic violence against women whom we sometimes never even see in public. But as with other injustices in Israel in 2011, the initial tendency is to downplay the scandal and dismiss those speaking out. The excuses for this discriminatory and belligerent attitude include all sorts of hair-splitting and half-truths under the guise of bureaucratic procedures or one-sided Halachic interpretations. Higher education and education in general are an important crucible for constructing a society where men and women earn equal pay, enjoy freedom of movement and are treated with dignity regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or nationality. It is unacceptable that groups with a regressive agenda be allowed to invade our academic space and tell women where, when and how to act. Heads of institutions of higher learning (most of whom are men) must ensure that there is no exclusion of women in academia. They must promote an atmosphere that welcomes and gives full expression to women's voices, as befits public institutions in a society that claims to be democratic. The writer is the coordinator for human rights and gender equality for the National Union of Israeli Students.
