Despite this, the criteria for assistance are still based on models that do not fit this reality. A self-employed person who lost all her clients overnight will not receive assistance if she does not have a lease. Someone who was forced to purchase basic necessities for her home because there was nothing to live on will be considered as not being harmed, because the expense is not "business." And even when assistance is provided, it is sometimes in tiny amounts. This is technical assistance to a business that fits the state's definitions, not the reality on the ground.
When the government treats all businesses as one unified entity, it forgets the majority: the self-employed who work without a paycheck, without employees, without unemployment benefits when their jobs disappear, and without the backing of a corporation. They are transparent to the system – and are not counted. The outline was built from a formal-budgetary perspective, and not from an understanding that the business is a direct source of income. The real question is not how much money was transferred – but how many businesses will survive the coming months, and how to ensure that this happens.
The allocated budget hardly reaches businesses that have no rent, employees, or inventory – as if a business without formal expenses is a business that is not affected. In practice, the main expense of a freelancer is the very ability to exist. Therefore, when there are no "known" expenses, there is also no compensation – even if income has completely collapsed. It is true that employees are also affected during such periods, but at least they have the option of unemployment benefits. Self-employment has almost no safety net.
It's time for a profound change. Small businesses are not marginal – they are the infrastructure. Women who run them support families, strengthen local trading communities and provide essential services. And when they fall – the entire economy pays the price. A strong economy is not built on uniformity but on understanding diversity. Not every business is a limited liability company, and not every income appears on an official form. If policy continues to suit only the big ones – we will find ourselves in a country where only the big ones survive.
We at Future Initiatives meet these women every day. They are brave and enterprising, but they too have their limits. They are not asking for mercy, but for a framework that understands that it is precisely those who appear transparent who are sometimes the ones who sustain the Israeli economy when the storm hits. The result is clear: once again, hundreds of thousands of women are left outside the envelope of aid.
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