The exclusion of young Arab women from work, education and training in Israel

Arab women’s NEET behavior should be understood in the context of the transition of Arab society from a patriarchal to a modern one. The study is based on intensive open interviews with 40 young women aged 18–30 concerning their struggle for self-fulfilment as women in Arab society. The study’s novel aspect is its focus on women’s perspective on their situation and on the strategies used by them in consolidating their status in the family and society. The fact that more than half of the women between the ages of 18 and 22 are defined as NEET is explained by a gender struggle between women who have adopted modern expectations for self-fulfillment and their male chauvinist milieus. The study has identified five strategies adopted by Arab women: identification with the patriarchy; surrender; constraint; compromise; and career oriented. The vast majority of women engage in a bitter struggle and most of them feel that they were forced to give up their teenage dreams.