The State vs. Tradition: Israeli Palestinian and Middle-Eastern Jewish Women in the Labor Force

• In Event: 403 - Section on Sex and Gender Paper Session. Gender and Economic Inequality

Abstract

The labor force participation of Arab and Muslim women in countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the lowest among all other areas in the world. Many scholars attribute this fact to the cultural heritage of Islam and to the power of tradition in Arab societies, while others claim that the explanation should be searched for in economic and political configurations. This article draws on a comparison of three distinct Middle-Eastern groups in Israel—Jews who originated from MENA countries, Muslim Arab-Palestinians, and Christian Arab-Palestinians—to shed light on the intricate relations between traditional culture, state policies, and employment opportunities. The article starts with a description of the differential treatment of the three groups by the state, and then explores the impact of this differential treatment by analyzing data on family patterns, education, and labor force participation over a period of 37 years. The analysis shows that all women increased their education, had fewer children, and were more likely to be gainfully employed. Yet the pace of change in employment rates has been much slower among the two Palestinian groups than among Jewish women from the MENA background. The article highlights the role of the state in determining the destiny of various Middle-Eastern groups. The state considered Mizrahi Jews part of the Jewish Nation and therefore pressured Mizrahi women to join modern institutions. At the same time the state coopted traditional Palestinian elites and had no interest in drawing Palestinian women into paid employment.

Authors

• Yuval Peretz Yonay, University of Haifa

• Vered vera Kraus, University of Haifa