The new policy is that mothers can also be considered responsible for child support payments, and it won't just be automatically be put on the father, as it has until now.
From now on the beis din will consider the financial situation of the mother (e.g. job, savings of her own, etc.) when making their decision.
The Rabbanut explains their change in policy by saying this will lessen the number of situations in which the husband refuses to give a gett. They say that sometimes the husband refuses to give a gett out of concern that he will have to pay a lot in child support. Taking into account the women and having her possibly need to pay child support, or part of it, will make men more willing to give the gett.
Another claim made by the Rabbanut is that they are bringing the system more into modern times, as the family financial situation and makeup has changed a lot since the mid-1900s.
Some womens organizations have protested this change and wonder how the Rabbanut can say they are making this change in order to protect and help the women.
I guess this is another form of "shivyon bnetel".
It makes sense to me. Today, women work and support the family, often equally to the men and sometimes much more, much more than they used to. Why should all the child payments fall on the father and none on the mother?
And womens groups that fight for equality are usually right. Women deserve equality, without any question. But with equality comes equal responsibility. I think it is high time the women were considered equally in the proceedings of a divorce and not automatically given the upper hand.
I hope it also helps lessen the severity of the agunah situation, though that claims seems to me to be a cop-out excuse and not realistic. From the stories we hear about, most agunah cases are because the man holds back while he demands ridiculous payments from the wife, or just because he doesn't want to divorce her.
This is a start. Now the Rabbanut should work to treat women equally in many other spheres of life as well!
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