Family Structure and Well-Being Across Israel’s Diverse Population

Some of the Brief’s highlights include:

• Israel has the highest birth rates in the developed world (3.0 children per woman vs. the OECD average of 1.7) with a variety of government policies encouraging fertility.
• The country provides a relatively supportive environment for working mothers that yield relatively high employment rates among Israeli women ages 25–44 with children.
• One of the biggest challenges facing Israeli families is poverty, as one in five Israeli households and one in three Israeli children live below the poverty line. The problem is particularly pronounced for Arab-Israelis and Haredim – with differences in the challenges experienced by each of these groups.