So I just read an article by Chevy Weiss who is a Charedi woman who has 20 years of political experience (behind the scenes). The article was arguing AGAINST having women in the Knesset. However she acknowledged three reasons why “a real Haredi woman would want to run for public office.”
1) Women want their husbands to be learning. If there is a job market in which it is integral to have Charedi representation, but only allows for men, then those men will not be able to learn.
2) There are various issues being faced by Charedim, including an economic crisis, and women have good ideas, especially since they are generally the ones in the real world, yet men generally don’t listen to the women’s ideas.
3) Charedi women do not have a voice in their community. Especially if they don’t have husbands. And with the prevalence of divorce, Rabbis and organizations frequently side with the man. Women feel that female MKs will adequately address their needs in a way that is not being done by male Knesset members.
Now of course we can disagree with the facts or legitimacy of these needs (I have what to ding zuch on all three), but I don’t think we can deny that there are women who feel this way. Therefore, I don’t think it is fair to simply dismiss this as a push for egalitarianism with no actual needs whatsoever.
This is why I think that DaasYochid’s argument is superior to Lior’s argument.