Arab Israeli Women Entering the Labor Market: Higher Education, Employment, and Wages

*This brief is also available in Arabic. To read the full brief in Arabic, click here

The study shows that Arab Israeli women have improved their academic achievements in high school, are more successful than Arab Israeli men, and are approaching the achievements of Jewish women. In addition, there has been an increase in the share of Arab Israeli women pursuing higher education.

However, alongside these positive trends, there are areas that require further improvement: Arab Israeli women pursue careers in the field of education, which is already saturated with workers, at high rates, and study or pursue work in more lucrative fields such as computers and engineering at much lower rates. A more balanced distribution of fields of study and employment among Arab Israeli women would likely lead to better integration into the labor market and is a potential source of growth for the Israeli economy in the coming years.

The Taub Center gratefully acknowledges The Diane P. and Guilford Glazer Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles for its generous support of the research study upon which this policy brief is based.