Academic Degrees Don't Prevent Violence, New Data Reveals

New data from the "Ruach Nashit" (Woman's Spirit) organization highlights a complex issue within the ongoing debate about gender segregation in Israeli academia. The organization, which assists victims of violence in achieving financial independence, reported that in the first half of 2026, approximately 30% of women completing their financial resilience programs held bachelor's or master's degrees. In the central region of Israel, over 40% of these women were either pursuing or had already obtained higher education.

Further data from 2025 indicated that nearly half of the women in the central region who participated in the program were academically educated, with many holding advanced degrees. This suggests that even women with degrees are vulnerable to domestic violence and economic dependence, facing significant financial and employment repercussions.

Ofira Ben Shlomo, CEO of "Ruach Nashit," stated that the debate over gender-separated study tracks in academia often frames the issue as one of access versus equality. However, she emphasized that the organization's findings add another layer: simply entering higher education does not guarantee a woman's safety or autonomy. "The question is not just whether women are studying, but under what conditions they are studying, what opportunities open up for them as a result of their studies, and to what extent they can turn the education they have acquired into real independence in their lives," Ben Shlomo explained.

These statistics emerge against the backdrop of a proposed bill that would permit separate study tracks for men and women, even at the postgraduate level.