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Only men under a Noahide regime are required to set up a Noahide government. In a society where there is no Noahide government, if it is invaded by a Noahide army, only the men are killed, not the woman as they had no obligation to enforce the law. However, women may serve in any position in the government if they are able but their rulership is still viewed as problematic.
"While women must ultimately share the blame, as well as the credit, for the way that civil society functions, we see from the incident at Shechem that the obligations of men and women under this Commandment are not identical. The men of Shechem were killed for failing to live up to their responsibilities. The women, having different responsibilities, and of course the children as well, were not. Women are not Divinely obligated to involve themselves directly in either society's law-making or its law enforcement.
Perhaps as part of the "affirmative action" plan described earlier, Divine law reserves most civic and religious leadership functions in Israel to the men of Israel. A Jewish man should, if he is able, occupy the greater part of his time in study, teaching, legal deliberation and government, along with spiritual devotion. So the Lord gives Israel's men affirmative, genderspecific commandments in these spheres — for the ultimate benefit of both genders.
Torah defends a different role for women. While men may "sit with the elders," embroiled in questions of law and politics, women aren't required to do so themselves. It goes without saying that the wise man will avail himself of woman's counsel and her insight. But God never commands women — who should lead men both in modesty and gentleness — to participate in a public life that may bring them to hardness or immodesty. Heaven leaves them free to "wash [their] hands in innocence."
This is not to say that God bars women from actively involving themselves in matters of civic justice. Nothing in the Noahide law prevents women from taking any office or serving any function in any Noahide court or government. Stll, in a world where leaders lead by charisma and example, where women will accept a fatherly leader but men often can't or won't devotedly accept women as their models, strong civic leadership and woman's leadership can be problematic.
In all events, whether as police, witnesses in court, judges, or the very highest ministers of government, women must, of course, act as righteousness requires. If a woman can give evidence in a court case, for instance, she must do so if asked; if she witnesses a crime she must report it, the same as any man. Wherever society organizes itself to impose the same basic public duties on women as on men, the woman who defaults from her responsibilities is like the man who does the same.
When men dominate institutions of government or justice, fairness — that is, justice — requires them to accommodate woman's special vulnerabilities, if any, and her family-centered needs. A court, for instance, should try to protect the shy and modest woman, to make the ordeal of public involvement less of an ordeal. This is so even at the risk of appearing partial to women. After ll, only gentlemen honor women; only dishonorable men treat women dishonorably." (Dallen, 2003, pp. 213-214)
SOURCE: Dallen, Michael E. (2003). The Rainbow Covenant. Light Catcher Books & The Rainbow Covenant Foundation.
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