Equality on Ketura

This is an area in which Israel in general, and the kibbutz movement in particular, tends to lag behind other Western countries. Ketura's egalitarian policy is rare among kibbutzim. We support gender equality in every aspect -- work, study, and play.

It's not that equal numbers of men and women are assigned to every work branch or committee. But we do aspire to equal opportunity, based not on gender, but on a person's skills and needs Women are involved on a high level in all decision-making bodies and in most branches of production. In our two most profitable agricultural branches, the dairy herd and the date groves, women as often as not make up a majority of the workers or are the senior decision-makers.

Of no less significance is the number of men working in what are traditionally thought of as women's jobs: the laundry, the kitchen, and most importantly, education and child care. While some aspects of traditional roles exist on the kibbutz, there is absolute equality of opportunity in work, study, and leadership.