Religiosity and labour market attainments of muslim-arab women in Israel

This study examines the associations between religiosity and labour market attainments (LMA) among Muslim-Arab working women in Israel. Specifically, it addresses the occupation measures of wage, rank, and occupational prestige. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the study applies new multifaceted methodology to assess religiosity, (El-Mansour, Y.: The five dimensions of muslim religiosity. Results of an empirical study. Methods, Data, Analyses. 8(1), 53–78 (2014)) designed for and validated among Muslims, whereas previous studies have used variables available in existing surveys or identical measurement for members of all religions. The findings draw on a field survey among 219 participants analysed quantitatively. The picture drawn based on this methodology is more complex than and fairly different from earlier studies. Core findings reveal a negative association between religiosity and labour market outcomes, especially regarding religious duties and publicly manifested orthopraxis, whereas internal aspects of religiosity such as belief and religious knowledge have no apparent occupational implications. The findings are discussed in the context of contemporary debates regarding Muslims’ integration in Western countries, and the Arab-Muslim native minority in Israel.