Discrimination Of Palestinian Women In Education Employment And In The Family

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, grade: 2, University of Vienna, language: English, abstract: The paper is about the discrimination of Palestinian Women. The position of Palestinian women is very sensitive because they are part of different marginalized groups and therefore face multiple layers of discrimination and exclusion. They are discriminated against as women in Israel, as Palestinians in Israel and as women in the Palestinian society. The two main reasons of the discrimination are the traditional patriarchal norms and values and the occupation with its consequences, which together configures a high gender inequality. This discrimination often results in gender-based violence as sexual violence, intimate partner violence and child marriage. Palestinian women are given the role of preserving and transmitting the culture as well as the burden of bearing more children to ensure the continuation of the Palestinian people. The community’s ethnic identity was strengthened by defending their honor. In this way “family honor” serves to defend the restriction of women’s freedom and their inferiority. All women must follow certain rules of behavior and their success is determined by her ability to measure up to the social expectations transmitted to her through her family.The more stereotypical characteristics she internalizes, the more favorable she will be looked upon by her environment.

Palestinian women have slowly become active in the formal labor market in Israel. In this book, Vered Kraus and Yuval Yonay describe and analyse the labor experience of these Palestinian women, and explain why Palestinian and Jewish women have different rates and outcomes in the labor market. Challenging popular views that ascribe these differences to Arab culture and Islam, they instead find that it is state policies and widespread discrimination that hinder Palestinian women's participation and success. By including the various Palestinian sub-groups - Muslims, Bedouins, Druze, Christians, non-citizen residents of Jerusalem - this book shows how the specific life circumstances of the women from these subgroups affect their employment and achievements. The book thus enriches the acute discussion on the labour market experiences of Muslim and Arab women in the Middle East and North Africa and in advanced industrialized societies.

Nearly one in four of Israel's 1.6 million schoolchildren are educated in a public school system wholly separate from the majority. These children are Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel. A world apart in quality from the public schools serving Israel's majority Jewish population, schools for Palestinian Arab children offer fewer facilities and educational opportunities than are offered other Israel children.

Palestinian Women transports us to sacred thoughts, raw feelings and never before-heard stories of fifty-five Palestinian women ages 18-90 living in eighteen West Bank villages. Born into various socio-economic backgrounds and religious beliefs (including Muslim, Christian, Agnostic & Atheism), these women openly address sensitive questions such as: -What is a Palestinian woman's role in society and household? -Is it important for a Palestinian woman to have a man in her life? -How does education, marriage and religion factor into a Palestinian woman's life? -How has today's Palestinian woman's lifestyle changed compared to her mother or grandmother's time? -How important is it for a Palestinian woman to have her own identity? By presenting with discussion, research and storytelling, the author provides a platform for Palestinian women to share their histories and current views on life. The book also supports to dispel common cultural stereotypes and myths, including religious oppression and domestic violence. The author hopes to empower women all over the world to take inventory of their lives and find ways in which to create more harmony and balance within themselves and others, within their societies and all over the world.

In this rich, evocative study, Rhoda Ann Kanaaneh examines the changing notions of sexuality, family, and reproduction among Palestinians living in Israel. Distinguishing itself amid the media maelstrom that has homogenized Palestinians as "terrorists," this important new work offers a complex, nuanced, and humanized depiction of a group rendered invisible despite its substantial size, now accounting for nearly twenty percent of Israel's population. Groundbreaking and thought-provoking, Birthing the Nation contextualizes the politics of reproduction within contemporary issues affecting Palestinians, and places these issues against the backdrop of a dominant Israeli society.

Key recommendations - Note on methodology. -- Background. The political and legal status of the Occupied Palestinian Territories - The Palestinian criminal justice system : The Palestinian police - The Attorney General and public prosecutors - The Palestinian judiciary - Applicable laws. - The status of Palestinian women - The Palestinian women's rights movement. -- Social and legal obstacles to reporting violence and seeking redress. Spousal abuse - Child abuse - Sexual abuse : rape - incest. - Murder of women under the guise of "honor". -- Failings in institutional responses to violence against women and girls. The role of the police - The role of medical professionals : the absence of medical guidelines and breaches of confidentiality. - Forensic doctors and forced virginity testing - The informal justice system : The role of governors in the informal justice system. - Inaccessible shelters for victims of violence : The Nablus Shelter - The Bethlehem Home for Girls. -- Obligations under international human rights law. The right to non-discrimination and equality before the law - State responsibility for abuses by third parties. -- Conclusion. -- Recommendations. To the Palestinian Authority - To President Mahmoud Abbas - To the Palestinian Legislative Council. - To the Attorney General - To the Ministry of Interior - To the Ministry of Social Affairs -- To the Ministry of Health - To the government of Israel - To the international donor community. -- Acknowledgements.

My research emphasizes the situation of women in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in light of the ongoing conflict over the land and the deteriorated economic and financial conditions. In the recent years, the subject women in labor has generated a special interest among researchers and academics. This is due to importance of their participation and existing obstacles to it. Despite the high rate of education among Palestinian women and the existing initiatives by NGOs, their participation rate in the labor market remains among the lowest in the world and compared to men (Al-Botmeh, 2015). The main challenges facing their participation include political, economic, social and cultural factors. This research sheds light on these challenges and the existing gaps in certain methods used to engage women in the labor market. It digs deeper into the limitations of instrumentalist approaches to development, in addition to the importance of adopting transformative approaches that consider effects of gender roles, relations and norms in the process of womens development. Research Design: The research aims at answering the following questions: Main Question: What are the main reasons behind the low participation rate of Palestinian women in labor force and how could this issue be addressed? Sub Questions: 1. What are the political, economic, social and cultural obstacles hindering Palestinian womens participation in the labor force? 2. What are the limitations of using instrumentalist approaches to development for the purpose of increasing Palestinian womens participation in the labor force? 3. Why is it important to adopt transformative approaches in the process of Palestinian womens development? Methodology The research focuses on the case of the Occupied Palestinian Territories and targets the areas of the West Bank and East Jerusalem excluding Gaza Strip. The sampling method is purposive, in addition to having a convenient sample within the purposeful group. Primary data: Primary data include online questionnaires and unstructured interviews. For the purposeful group, the questionnaires target males and females who received vocational trainings by Palestinian organizations or centers. For the convenient group, questionnaires were distributed to a list of other people that provided their opinions regarding issues discussed in this research. In total, 150 online questionnaires were distributed among males and females and 138 (97 females, 41 males) responses were received. Moreover, as part of the purposive sampling, four unstructured interviews were conducted with Palestinian civil society and women organizations that advocate for womens rights and provide vocational and capacity-building trainings. The interviews focused on the challenges women face regarding participation in labor force, in addition to questions related to the vocational trainings offered by these NGOs. The interviews were conducted with four organizations, two from East Jerusalem and two others from the West Bank. Secondary data: Secondary data is derived from previous research including books, articles, surveys and reports regarding all aspects of the topic. The data are provided from international cases and Palestinian ones as well. The provided statistics are also derived from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and other Palestinian centers and organizations that offer national statistics and reports regarding the discussed issues. Conclusions This research aims at analyzing factors behind the low participation rate of Palestinian women in labor force by digging deeper into social relations and cultural ideologies and practices. The presented research, surveys and justifications show gaps in certain instrumentalist approaches applied for empowering women and engaging them in the labor market. Previous research and results of this one reveal that some of these approaches are concerned with the political context and economic matters hindering womens participation while ignoring the effect of households, community and market on womens conditions within the Palestinian context. The analysis provided paves the way for future reforms that include the adoption of new approaches that lead to transformative change in the lives of women and more gender equality on the ground. Such transformative models tackle womens subordination by challenging gender norms rooted in the society and unleash the potentials of women. Recommendations The research suggests reformation of development policies and strategies including those concerning VET to respond to strategic gender needs of both men and women. Moving towards transformative approaches is recommended for addressing gender issues related to the low participation of women in their societies. Its crucial that all relevant stakeholders realize their roles in achieving that. A collaboration between the Palestinian authority, civil society organizations and international NGOs is needed. The Palestinian Authority has the power to reform existing laws and include gender education and knowledge in the education curriculums. This facilitates the discussion and tackling of related issues by the society and breaks the perception of perceiving gender topics as a taboo. International NGOs play a role in building the capacities of local ones regarding gender concepts. This promotes the adoption of gender-frameworks and inclusion of gender-sensitive strategies in the planning and implementation of development strategies by Palestinian organizations.