أثر العوامل السوسيوديموغرافية والسياسات العامة في مشاركة النساء الفلسطينيات في سوق العمل في إسرائيل

Abstract EN

Objective: This study seeks to explain the low participation rate of Palestinian women in the Israeli labor market despite the significant educational expansion since the early 1990 s.

We draw on cultural explanations, human capital, and public policies to argue that participation in the labor market by Palestinian women is not determined solely by achievement criteria such as education, or affiliation criteria such as ethnicity, religion and gender.

Methodology: This study uses a quantitative approach and analyses data from the labor force surveys conducted by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics between 1998 and 2009.

Results: The study shows that socio-demographic variables explain only part of the low participation rate among Palestinian women, and it sheds light on the importance of policy-related variables, particularly the lack of employment opportunities and employment-related services in predominantly Arab neighborhoods and localities.

Conclusions: Education is a necessary but insufficient factor to participate in the labor market.

However, lack of employment opportunities on the one hand, and lack of access to affordable day-care facilities are critical factors for explaining the low rates of labor market participation among Palestinian women in Israel.