The Israel-Hamas War presents unique challenges for women, but it has also revealed their impressive ability to cope with and grow from these challenges. It can be argued that the term “multi-front war” not only describes the war Israel is fighting against its enemies but also the war women are fighting in various spheres — as fighters, civilians, and mothers.
Since October 7, women have played an active role in fighting, defending civilians, policing, and various combat roles.
Looking at the data
According to data from the Knesset Research and Information Center (based on the IDF website since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War up until January 3, 2024), about 18% of reservists were women, a 10% increase compared to Operation Protective Edge. Around 9,855 women served in the reserves after previously being exempt, with more than 80% of them being under the age of 34.
A particularly impressive 4,751 women in reserve duty were mothers, and 30% of them had three children. These women managed their lives between the war fronts and their children’s needs — a challenging task they faced with courage.
On the home front, women dealt with challenges balancing child care, work demands, and the unique conditions of the war. They were required to manage new role intersections — between family, work, and war. Furthermore, during the Israel-Hamas War, women have played a central role in volunteering for the community, taking a significant part in helping soldiers, families affected by the conflict, and the entire Israeli home front.
They have distributed food and supplies to soldiers, organized support networks for evacuated and affected families, and provided emotional and social support to soldiers and their families. Many of them have also participated in civilian aid organizations, collected donations, volunteered in hospitals and absorption centers, and initiated community projects aimed at strengthening social resilience.
Throughout the different phases of the war, I conducted several studies investigating women's coping strategies in various arenas. At the start of the war, in November 2023, when Israeli society was in shock due to the loss and threat experienced during the October events, I conducted a study examining women’s coping strategies for dealing with the tensions between the family and work arenas.
Women have developed coping strategies during the war
I found that women were able to combine a variety of coping strategies, with maintaining a routine being the most common strategy. Maintaining a routine benefited them and contributed to a sense of efficiency at work, despite numerous challenges, including caring for children alone without the support of spouses (many of whom were drafted), a disrupted education system, and high work demands, which often included taking on the roles of colleagues who had been drafted.
At the same time, women were also required to maintain other systems that were functioning unusually, such as the couple relationship, which in many cases was maintained at a distance, providing emotional support for soldiers. Another study I conducted about six months after the war broke out in March 2024 showed that women who maintained positive communication with their spouses via electronic means and face-to-face during the soldier’s days off experienced higher levels of mental well-being.
However, in the same study, I also found that about one-fifth of the women reported a deterioration in the quality of communication with their spouses when they came home on leave, a finding that indicates the challenges that marital relationships may face after the war.
Among the challenges women have faced during the war, it is impossible not to mention the mothers of soldiers, who are immensely worried for their children and have drawn on their mental strength to endure the situation, which causes them distress at any given moment.
In a study I conducted on this subject in November 2024, when the war was still intense on all fronts, I found that women used various strategies to reduce their distress. Strategies such as adopting a positive approach and managing distress through spiritual methods (prayers, faith, yoga, and meditation) were more effective than others in reducing psychological distress.
Although the war has reinforced traditional gender roles in the short term, particularly among women on the home front (since they filled traditional household management roles, providing support and encouragement to their families and communities), it has also created opportunities for growth.
Based on my research on women in the war, I found that in the psychological domain, which was reflected in a sense of growth and meaning, women exhibited higher levels of mental health than in the emotional domain, which was reflected in expressions of anxiety and distress. This finding reveals that women were able to experience different feelings simultaneously and grow from them.
The resilience and flexibility that women exhibited highlight their ability to cope with complex challenges. Their ability to manage in various arenas — being fighters, mothers, working wives, contributing to the community, and, amidst all this, maintaining stability while providing emotional and familial support — demonstrates their personal strength and reshapes the perception of gender roles in Israeli society.
Without a doubt, the war has opened a window for renewed recognition of women’s strength, wisdom, and contributions, offering an opportunity to establish true gender equality both in times of peace and in times of emergency.
The writer is a researcher in work, family, and gender systems at the School of Behavioral Sciences of Netanya Academic College.