The dispute over gender-segregated academic options—framed by supporters in religious terms and criticized by opponents as discriminatory—is escalating in Israel as a bill to expand gender separation in higher education advances through the Knesset.

Backers say graduate-level separation should be permitted for students who, due to religious beliefs, do not want mixed-gender study. They argue the policy would not force institutions to adopt segregation, but would allow them to create separate tracks where there is demand, positioning the measure as broad “integration” or access rather than exclusion.

Opponents argue the move would normalize segregation in academia and widen divisions between men and women. They contend that allowing gender separation in advanced programs risks turning a contested exception into a wider practice, with impacts extending beyond classrooms into broader academic life.

The controversy follows earlier legal rulings that limited gender-segregated study to undergraduate contexts. In earlier decisions, courts allowed certain forms of separation tied to student choice while restricting barring women from teaching in male-only settings. The current legislative push is portrayed by supporters as an attempt to widen what is permitted at higher degree levels, while critics describe it as a strategy to bypass prior limitations.

As debate continues, lawmakers and civil society figures are also clashing on whether the proposal will remain limited or slide into more extensive segregation across campuses, and whether it can be reconciled with equality principles in higher education.