The past year has been one of the most challenging in Israel’s history, particularly for women and especially for female students. An entire generation of women has been forced to navigate an impossible reality.
Students have shouldered the responsibility for their families while their partners were repeatedly called up for reserve duty; young women have struggled to make ends meet while juggling studies and an unforgiving economic climate; and mothers of students have been left without support, with the higher education system failing to make the necessary adjustments.
Women have played every conceivable role in this war, even if public discourse has rarely reflected it. They have fought on the front lines, led relief efforts, supported families, continued their studies, and maintained their jobs under impossible conditions – and yet their contributions have been largely unrecognized.
Over 60,000 women have served on reserve duty, including thousands of combat soldiers who played an active role on the battlefield. Thousands of mothers left their children behind to fulfill their military obligations, managing their households from afar.
Others bore the entire burden alone – raising children under fire while maintaining their careers and financial stability. While male reservists received widespread acknowledgment and support, women who served in the same roles remained invisible – as is reflected in both the recognition and assistance they received.
If there is one pattern that has repeated itself throughout this crisis, it is Israel’s reliance on emergency management.
There is no long-term planning and no infrastructure in place to prevent systemic failure – only last-minute, makeshift solutions that allow the system to “survive” until the next inevitable collapse. And so we must ask: Why do we keep making the same mistakes? Why do we insist on repeating a failed approach?
The answer is simple: For years, Israel’s political and administrative systems have been dominated by the same outdated mindsets: short-sighted, reactive, and tactical rather than strategic.
Women have been shut out of decision-making circles, and that is precisely why the country continues to repeat its failures.
Women’s leadership
The conversation about women’s leadership cannot be reduced to representation alone. The question is not whether there will be more women around the government’s decision-making table, but whether Israel will embrace a different leadership approach – one that goes beyond reactive crisis management and instead builds the structural foundations to prevent future crises altogether.
We already know that women in leadership handle crises differently because they tend to lead with a systemic perspective and long-term vision.
Women consider the full spectrum of consequences that their decisions may have, rather than focusing solely on immediate reactions. They listen, plan, carefully weigh their next steps, and act with a broad understanding of the realities on the ground. This isn’t just theory.
It is backed by research and data. From countries led by women during the COVID-19 pandemic to the responsible economic management of women in key financial roles, time and again, female leadership has been proven to create stability, prevent collapse, and foster long-term planning.
This is precisely what Israel is missing in 2024: leadership that doesn’t merely put out fires but prevents them from igniting in the first place.
This applies across all sectors, from economic crises to the healthcare system. Women are the ones carrying the weight of these crises on their shoulders, yet they lack the power to change how they are managed. While women take charge in wartime – whether in combat, on the home front, or in the workforce – they have remained sidelined when it comes to shaping national policy.
Will women be given a seat at the table just to create a more “diverse” picture, or will they be granted the mandate to lead and drive real change?
In this war, women have stood on the front lines in every sense, on the battlefield, in the workforce, in their homes, and in academia. They have led, sustained the economy, and raised children under fire. Women do not need symbolic “representation.” They need real power.
The state must recognize that reserve duty is not just assigned to soldiers – it mobilizes entire families. It’s time women have the authority to shape policies that prevent the next crisis, before it’s too late.
The writer is chair of the National Union of Israeli Students.