Free tire change for women is sexist, Israeli judge rules

A man has successfully sued an insurance company for discrimination in a Lod court after it ran a campaign for free roadside tire changes for women, but not men.

Insurance companies Bituah Yashir and Tisha Million both ran a promotion in which they offered to change tires for women who insured their car with them for free, but charged men NIS 80 ($12) for the same service. Ronen Merav filed a suit for NIS 108 million against IDI insurance, the parent company of both insurers, for discrimination, according to Israel media reports.

Judge Ofer Grosskopf ruled on July 30 in the Lod District Court that the promotion was patronizing to women, and reinforced stereotypes against them.

When a customer complained to the company about the discriminatory policy, the reply was that the deductible was waived based on the differences between men and women. The customer services representative said “they should thank us for our decision to offer this service to women for free, because in general it is difficult for them to change a tire themselves and they usually need a man to help them because of the physical effort involved.

“In general men are able to change a tire themselves and don’t require this service,” the representative said.

The insurance companies ended the campaign when the case was filed, and now offer free tire changes for both men and women who have comprehensive car insurance policies.

The judge ruled that not only is IDI’s claim that men and women should be dealt with differently false, but it reinforces invalid stereotypes. “Affirmative steps must improve the situation of the group being discriminated against,” he said.

Grosskopf called the entire promotion a “gimmick” and asserted it would not lead to equality between men and women.

“A patronizing approach to women that sends the message that they are unable and should not perform ‘masculine’ tasks hinders them from being an equal part of society,” he explained.

The judge continued: “First, women are able to change a tire just as well as men. Second, if a restaurant would offer dinner for men at a cheaper price [than for women] it would not be able to justify its actions based on studies that show that men find it more difficult to cut a salad and make an omelette than women do.”

However, Grosskopf also ruled that the amount claimed was exaggerated and fined IDI only NIS 30,000 in costs.