2013 was a good year for female representation in Israeli politics and at the top echelons of the civil service. One after the other, local records were set, generating excitement and media interest.

At the beginning of the year, we were informed that 27 women would serve in the 19th Knesset — far fewer than their share of the population, but nonetheless the highest number of women ever elected to the legislature since the establishment of the state. Then came a record-breaking number of women as directors of government offices — six out of 30 ministries — with special attention accorded to Yael Andorn, the first woman to head the Finance Ministry. Several months later, a woman was named for the first time as the governor of the Bank of Israel. True, the worthy choice of Karnit Flug followed several failed attempts to appoint men to this important position, but this did not mar the achievement.

On March 4, the state comptroller, retired judge Yosef Shapira, issued a surprising report that dispelled the optimistic sense of change and showed us the grim truth: 64% of all civil service employees in 2011 were women, but at senior management levels, they constituted only 11%. “The more senior the level, the lower the rate of women,” according to the report.

The comptroller detailed numerous examples illustrating the extent of discrimination: All 15 public hospitals reviewed in the report are run by men. In government-owned firms, there’s barely any female representation at the top. Of the 68 companies reviewed, none had a female CEO. Even in the academic world, where women are supposed to have more prospects for advancement, 85% of tenured professors were found to be men.