Individual and Familial Determinants of Married Arab Israeli Women's Labor Force Participation: Trends of Change and Stability

Abstract

Although the Arab population in Israel has undergone important economic and social changes in the past decades, the labor force participation of Arab women, particularly married women, has remained limited. This study uses census data to learn about the individual and familial factors associated with the entry into paid work of married Arab women and examines the extent to which these factors have changed over time. A major advantage is that the study distinguishes between the Muslim, Christian, and Druze populations, who markedly differ in their demographic, social, and cultural characteristics. Results from logistic regression models and standardization analyses reveal that the growth in employment experienced by Arab women was associated with the increasing education of both wives and husbands. However, the returns to education significantly decreased over time, particularly among Druze women, suggesting it has become more difficult for highly educated women to find employment. Results further show that the growth in employment experienced by Muslim and Christian women was related both to a decline in fertility and to a decrease in the negative returns to having children. Overall, findings underscore the structural barriers that limit Arab Israeli women's employment opportunities and raise concerns about their future occupational prospects.

KEYWORDS:

• Arab families
• social context
• traditionalism
• work and family

Notes

Values are percents.

From Census, Israel Central Bureau of Statistics 1983, 1995.

Values are percents.

From Census, Israel Central Bureau of Statistics 1983, 1995.

Values in parentheses are standard errors.

^a Reference category: ages 45–65.

^b Reference category: no postsecondary education.

^c Reference category: no children.

^d Reference category: husband has no postsecondary education.

^e Reference category: husband works full time.

*p ≤ .05; **p ≤ .01; ***p ≤ .001 (two-tailed tests).

From Census, Israel Central Bureau of Statistics 1983, 1995.