At 8 a.m., Ronit sits in front of her computer at her home in the north. The settlement has not been evacuated, but sirens frequently blare. In the background, her six-year-old daughter is attending an online class, her two-year-old son is playing on the carpet and again showing signs of fatigue. Her husband has been called up for reserve duty for several months, returning only for brief visits, tired and irritable. "I feel like I’m being torn into a thousand pieces," she says. "I have to be a full-time mother and a full-time employee at the same time." Ronit's story is the story of thousands of women in Israel who have been coping with an impossible reality since the outbreak of the war.
The closure of educational institutions in combat zones, combined with the fear of going to workplaces due to frequent sirens and the lack of protected shelters, has created an unprecedented crisis for many families, especially for working mothers. While during the COVID-19 pandemic we coped with temporary closures, where both parents were present, the current situation persists with no end date in sight. Many institutions have closed or shifted to remote learning, leaving parents—particularly mothers—to fill the resulting void.
The triple challenge: education, care, and livelihood.
The new reality has presented many women with a triple challenge. The closure of many kindergartens and schools, or their partial operation, along with day-care centers unable to function due to the lack of protected shelters, has created a void that mothers are forced to fill. The suspension of extracurricular activities and enrichment programs has left children without supportive frameworks, and the difficulty of finding safe alternative solutions has become an almost impossible task.
The daily burden these mothers face is immense. They are expected to manage remote work alongside childcare, assist with online learning, cope with their children’s (and their own) anxiety, and run the household without any external help. All this, while addressing the heightened emotional needs of the family during the emergency situation.
The consequences: Beyond the immediate scope
The impact on women's employment during this period is dramatic. Many women are forced to reduce their working hours or resign, leading to significant damage to family income. Beyond the immediate harm, there are serious concerns about losing promotion opportunities and facing future discrimination in the labor market.
The psychological consequences are no less severe. Fatigue and burnout have become an integral part of daily life, accompanied by constant feelings of guilt—towards both children and work. Economic anxiety, combined with loneliness and social disconnection, creates heavy mental strain, and the struggle to maintain a work-life balance has turned into an exhausting daily battle.
In the long term, the consequences could be critical to gender equality in the labor market wage gaps, which are already a significant challenge, are expected to widen. The impact on pension contributions will affect women's economic well-being at retirement age, and the setback in gender equality in the labor market is likely to influence the next generation as well.
Ways to cope: From the individual to the system
At the governmental level, immediate action is needed to establish emergency frameworks adapted to the security situation. Subsidizing babysitters and alternative care solutions, along with grants to employers promoting labor market flexibility, can provide an immediate response to the crisis. Expanding the rights of working parents in emergency situations is another essential step.
Employers are also required to adapt to the new reality, Flexible work policies, consideration of parents' needs, and training for hybrid work are essential steps. Supporting work-from-home expenses is expected to ease the increased economic burden.
At the family level, the crisis necessitates rethinking the division of responsibilities between partners .Establishing community support networks and making thoughtful use of technology to optimize hybrid work can help in coping with daily challenges.
Looking to the future
The current crisis presents a potential turning point in the perception of responsibility for child care within Israeli society. This is an opportunity to develop new models of work-family integration that will also support working parents in everyday life.
Comprehensive legislation to protect the rights of working parents in emergencies is required, this must be accompanied by the allocation of a designated budget for alternative care frameworks. Creating incentives for employers who support working families, investing in technological infrastructure for hybrid work and remote learning, and developing a psycho-social support system for families are all essential steps toward building a more resilient society.
The challenges revealed by the current caregiving crisis compel us to act—not only for today’s working women but also for a more equal future for all of us.
*More about the war impacts on women in Israel in the ADVAcenter report
The author: Michal Mats-Litmanovich, Co-CEO of Avoda Shava (Equal Work).
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