New data published ahead of International Women's Day by the Institute for Haredi Strategy and Policy points to a significant economic shift within Israel’s haredi community, showing that haredi women now earn higher hourly wages on average than haredi men.
According to the report, the average hourly wage for haredi women in 2023 was about 76 shekels, compared with roughly 71 shekels for haredi men, a gap of around 7 percent in favor of women.
However, when looking at the broader Israeli labor market, men still earn more on average than women in both the non-haredi Jewish sector and the Arab sector.
The data also highlight a long-term change. In 2005, haredi women earned only about 72 percent of the wages earned by haredi men. Over the years that gap steadily narrowed, reaching roughly 95 percent by 2023.
Despite the increase in wages for haredi women, a gap remains compared with non-haredi Jewish women. In 2023, non-haredi Jewish women earned an average hourly wage of about 89 shekels, compared with about 76 shekels among haredi women.
According to the institute, this difference has remained relatively stable over time, even during years when the rapid growth of the high-tech sector pushed the national average wage higher.
When measured by monthly income, haredi men still earn slightly more overall. Researchers say this is largely because haredi women tend to work fewer hours on average.
In some haredi cities, however, women already earn more per month than men. In Bnei Brak, the average monthly salary for haredi women is about 10,967 shekels, around 1,560 shekels higher than the average wage for men in the city.
A similar pattern was found in Modiin Illit, where women earn about 9,749 shekels per month on average, compared with roughly 8,500 shekels for men.
The institute also noted that while wages for haredi men have increased over time, the gap between them and non-haredi Jewish men remains substantial. A non-haredi Jewish man earns about 117 shekels per hour on average, compared with around 71 shekels for a haredi man.
Researchers say the findings reflect a structural change within the haredi community, where economic influence is gradually shifting toward women.