Segregation, ethnic labour market and the occupational expectations of Palestinian students in Israel

Abstract

Using data from a large national representative survey of Palestinian high school students in Israel, this study examines the effect of the local labour market and the internal ethnic/religious segregation between Muslims, Christians and Druze, on students' occupational expectations. The data, which were collected in spring 1997, consisted of two types, these being data regarding students, and data regarding schools. The findings show that despite the disadvantages of the Palestinian minority as a whole within Israeli society, students tend to develop high occupational expectations. While the general level of their expectations can be explained by their educational and residential segregation from the Jewish majority, the multi-level analyses suggests that the internal segregation facilitates differential access to socio-economic resources, which generate different levels of occupational expectations between students from various ethnic/religious groups. More specifically, the findings demonstrate that the social and economic differences between Muslims, Christians and Druze are playing a central role in determining students' expectations, acting as a mechanism to preserve social inequality. The gender dimension of the occupational expectations and the influence of die segregation between Palestinian and Jewish students, are also discussed.

Mental health help-seeking among Arab university students in Israel, differentiated by religion

“…Some social scientists claim ''Christian Arabs are more motivated than Muslim Arabs to integrate into the larger Israeli society, and that Muslim Arabs are more motivated than Christian Arabs to preserve their unique identity as a minority group'' (Sagiv & Schwartz, 1998, p. 317). Indeed, Christian Arabs in Israel have a lower fertility rate than their Muslim and Druze communities, and tend to have higher occupational status (Khattab, 2003). Moreover, the Christian presence in Palestine has been decreasing since the end of World War I; after the 1948 creation of Israel and the war of 1967, in particular, Christians have migrated out of …”

Ethnic Differences in Internet Access

“…Initially, a wide gap in education separated the two groups, but over the years, the general level of education of the Israeli society has risen and primary and high school entrance has become widespread in all population groups (Khatab 2003;Okun & Friedlander 2005). Nevertheless, ethnic inequality persists, especially on the more selective levels of schooling.…”

“…Residential segregation is deemed relevant to the digital divide in Israel, as Arab communities are systematically deprived, partly because of state policies, in terms of resource allocation and infrastructure (Lustick 1980;Smooha 1997Smooha , 2002Mesch & Talmud 2008). This -along with extreme residential segregation, higher crime rate, lower level of education and income -makes the Jewish-Arab divide a salient feature of the Israeli stratification system (Shavit 1992;Kraus & Yonay 2000;Smooha 2002;Khatab 2003;Okun & Friedlander 2005).…”

The relationship of maternal separation anxiety and differentiation of self to children's separation anxiety and adjustment to kindergarten: A study in Druze families

“…Residentially, the Arabs are highly segregated from the Jewish population; they live mainly in three geo-cultural areas -Galilee, the Triangle, and the Negevwith only 10% residing in ethnically mixed cities like Haifa and Jaffa. Most live in villages and small towns (Khattab, 2003). Religion, tradition, and the family are central components in this culture (Dwairy, 1998); accordingly, social relations are built on duty and faithfulness to family and friends rather than on self needs.…”

“…The Druze, comprising about 94,000 people, are one of three major religious groups in Israel, together with Muslims and Christians, that share a basic Arab culture (Khattab, 2003) characterized as collectivist and authoritarian (Dwairy, 1998). The Arab population constitutes approximately one-fifth (19%) of the total population of the State of Israel (Semyonov, Epstein, & Brahm, 1999).…”