The Male Agency of Arabs in Transition to Adulthood in Israel

Very little is known about the transition to adulthood and particularly the causes of high NEEThood (not in employment, education or training) rates among young Arab men in Israel. This article aims to analyse the main routes of integration into the labour market and postsecondary education among Arab male citizens of Israel. It is argued that given their socioeconomic and political marginalization, they are likely to face extreme situations of NEET behaviour. Using qualitative data obtained through open interviews with 20 young Arab males aged 18–22, the study analyses their past experiences, their present situations and their orientations towards the future. Three types of such orientations emerge from the study: future-oriented, fatalist and desperate. These types differed from each other in their willingness to aspire to career-oriented futures and in their adoption of pugnacity and individualistic future orientations. Those who are less able to demonstrate a pugnacious and individualistic orientation are more likely to either turn to available job opportunities that do not require intensive training and professionalization or often fall into NEET behaviour, thereby perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty in Arab society.