‘How Can I Feel for Others When I Myself Am Beaten?’ The Impact of the Armed Conflict on Women in Israel

Abstract

This research presents an initial documentation of Israeli women's sense of insecurity during the Second Intifada (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005). Drawing on feminist security theory and the intersectional approach to gender, we hypothesized that women's familiar tendency to develop high levels of stress following political violence would be related to previous sexual and domestic victimization, to economic distress and ethnic discrimination among minority women, and to the cultural role of care workers among women of all socio-economic backgrounds. A sample of 552 women self-completed a cluster of questionnaires addressing a broad array of topics, and results confirmed most of the research hypotheses. The discussion highlights the multiple articulations of gender, militarism, and security and their possible implications for policies of conflict resolution.

Security as care: communitarianism, social reproduction and gender in southern Israel

“…Admittedly, our choice to listen to Israelis living near Gaza is a continuation of previous efforts to understand the complex impact of the ongoing conflict in Israel/ Palestine on women (see also : Sachs et al, 2007). We assume that documenting the communal caring practices carried out by Jewish-Israeli women living near Gaza, as well as their victimhood narratives, serves two purposes.…”

Stress, appraisal and work routine in wartime: do men and women differ?

“…At the same time, women are often overrepresented in occupations involving intensive interpersonal interactions and caretaking responsibilities (e.g., nursing and teaching), where they are expected to be strong for others (e.g., patients and children; e.g., Sachs, Sa'ar, & Aharoni, 2007). The burden of caring for others may expose women to a constant struggle to try to maintain control while feeling tremendously vulnerable, a struggle to display certain emotions (e.g., cheerfulness) while hiding genuine emotions (e.g., fear; Hochschild, 1983).…”

Survivors of Political Violence: Conceptualizations, Empirical Findings, and Ecological Interventions

“…Although not claiming an ecological orientation, some studies considered the mediating roles of various contextual factors (e.g., Haj-Yahia 2008;Kerestes 2006;Punamaki 1990;Qouta et al 2008;Sachs et al 2007) in models that seek to explain the effects of political violence on individuals.…”

“…Minority status and socioeconomic class, factors widely accounted for in the social sciences, have been found to mediate experiences of political violence (e.g., Sachs et al 2007;Cummings et al 2009). Sachs et al reported that "poverty, minority status and gender/sexual injuries exacerbate trauma that results from assaults perpetrated on national backgrounds."…”