Doing gender in segregated and assimilative organizations: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women in the Israeli high-tech labour market

Aviad E. Raz, Gavan Tzruya

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish (haredi) women in Israel, who are traditionally expected to be both mothers and breadwinners so as to allow their husbands to immerse themselves in religious studies, are recently entering the high-tech labour market in both segregated and assimilate organizations. This segmented labour market allows the constructed and intersectional character of doing gender in organizations to be examined, which in turn may also effect the ways in which such labour segmentation continues to develop. In 2014–2015, we administered a questionnaire to 119 haredi women working as computer programmers in assimilative and segregated organizations, and interviewed 42 of them as well as 16 of their managers. We describe the emergence of a dual pattern of employment with its benefits and disadvantages regarding pay, satisfaction, commitment and burnout. Findings are presented concerning the balancing of work and family as well as the professional/social conflict that is accentuated by working in an assimilative organization. Our findings show how the intersection of work, religiosity, class and gender is central to women's labour trajectories and identities, highlighting both the boundaries of gendered arrangements and their negotiability. We conclude by discussing how specific strategies of doing gender in segmented labour markets play out in/against ‘global’ norms of work and professionalism.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)361-378
Number of pages18
JournalGender, Work and Organization
Volume25
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2018

Keywords

  • high-tech
  • intersectionality
  • segmented labour markets
  • segregated and assimilative organizations
  • ultra-Orthodox Jewish women

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Gender Studies
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Doing gender in segregated and assimilative organizations: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women in the Israeli high-tech labour market'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this