Abstract
This study uses data from the 1974–75Israel Fertility Survey and the 1987–88 Study ofFertility and Family Formation to examine the changingdeterminants of abortion among Jewish women in Israel. Over the course of socioeconomic development, someeconomic and cultural variables (e.g., education,employment, and ethnicity) lose their explanatorypower whereas others become increasingly important forunderstanding variation in the practice of abortion. This article argues that the relationship betweenthese variables and abortion is mediated by a varietyof external and macro-level factors including socialnorms, the availability of contraceptive technology,and laws governing access to abortion.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
‘Abortion in Israel’, 1978. People (London) 5: 43-44.
Bachi, R., 1970. ‘Abortion in Israel’, in R. E. Hall (ed), Abortion in a Changing World, vol. 1. Columbia University Press, New York, 274–283.
Bachi, R., 1977. The Population of Israel. Scientific Translations International Ltd., Jerusalem.
Bachi, R. and Matras, J., 1962. ‘Contraception and induced abortion among Jewish maternity cases in Israel’, Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 40: 207–229.
Biale, R., 1995. Women and Jewish Law. Schocken, New York.
Blake, J., 1971. ‘Abortion and public opinion: The 1960-1970 decade’, Science 171: 540–549.
Central Bureau of Statistics, 1983. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 1983. Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem.
Central Bureau of Statistics, 1984. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 1984. Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem.
Central Bureau of Statistics, 1986. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 1986. Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem.
Central Bureau of Statistics, 1987. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 1987. Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem.
Central Bureau of Statistics, 1990. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 1990. Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem.
Central Bureau of Statistics, 1991. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 1991. Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem.
Central Bureau of Statistics, 1993. Demographic Characteristics of Women Applying for Interruption of Pregnancy in Israel 1991. (Reprint from Supplement to the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics no. 11, 1993.) Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem.
Central Bureau of Statistics, 1995. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 1995. Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem.
Central Bureau of Statistics, 1998. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 1998. Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem.
Feldman, D. M., 1975. Marital Relations, Birth Control, and Abortion in Jewish Law. Schocken, New York.
Feldman, D. M., 1984. Jewish Views on Abortion. William Petschek National Jewish Family Center, New York.
Frejka, T., 1985. ‘Induced abortion and fertility’, Family Planning Perspectives 17: 230–234.
Friedlander, D., 1973. ‘Family planning in Israel: Irrationality and ignorance’, Journal of Marriage and the Family 35: 117–124.
Friedlander, D. and Feldmann, C., 1993. ‘The modern shift to below-replacement fertility: Has Israel's population joined the process?’, Population Studies 47: 295–306.
Friedlander, D. and Goldscheider, C., 1979. The Population of Israel. Columbia University Press, New York.
Friedlander, D. and Goldscheider, C., 1984. ‘Israel's population: The challenge of pluralism’, Population Bulletin 39: 1–39.
Gober, P., 1994. ‘Why abortion rates vary: A geographical examination of the supply and demand for abortion services in the United States in 1988’, Annals of the Association of American Geographers 84: 230–250.
Golan, G., 1987. ‘Movement toward equality for women in Israel’, Tikkun 2: 19–21.
Goldscheider, C., 1995. ‘Ethnicity and nation-building in Israel: The importance of demographic factors’, in C. Goldscheider (ed), Population and Social Change in Israel. Westview, Boulder, 1–38.
Goldscheider, C., 1996. Israel's Changing Society: Population, Ethnicity, and Development. Westview, Boulder.
Goldscheider, C. and Friedlander, D., 1980. ‘Fertility expectations, desires and ideals among Jewish women in Israel’, in U. O. Schmelz, P. Glikson and S. DellaPergola (eds), Papers in Jewish Demography 1977. Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 301-314.
Goldscheider, C. and Friedlander, D., 1981. ‘Patterns of Jewish fertility in Israel: A review and some hypotheses’, in P. Ritterband (ed), Modern Jewish Fertility. E.J. Brill, Leiden, 232–254.
Henshaw, S., 1987. ‘Induced abortion: A worldwide perspective’, International Family Planning Perspectives 13: 12–16.
Henshaw, S., 1990. ‘Induced abortion: A world review, 1990’, Family Planning Perspectives 22: 76–89.
Humphries, J., 1980. ‘The socio-economic determinants of recourse to legal abortion’, Women's Studies International Quarterly 3: 277–393.
Keysar, A., Sabatello, E., Ziegler, I., Shtarkshall, R., Kupinsky, S., Zur, R. and Peritz, E., 1992. ‘Fertility patterns in the Jewish population of Israel’, in E. Peritz and M. Baras (eds), Studies in The Fertility of Israel. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 21–57.
Kupinsky, S., 1992. ‘Jewish fertility patterns: Norms, differentials, and policy implications’, in C. Goldscheider (ed), Population and Social Change in Israel. Westview Press, Boulder, 149–176.
Lawton, L., 1988. ‘The impact of religious commitment on fertility among Israeli Jews’, PSTC Working Paper Series No. 88-05. Population Studies and Training Center, Brown University, Providence.
Margolies, I. R., 1970. ‘A reform rabbi's view’, in R. E. Hall (ed), Abortion in a Changing World. Columbia University Press, New York, 30–33.
Matras, J. and Auerbach, C., 1962. ‘On rationalization of family formation in Israel’, Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 40: 453–480.
Nigem, E. and Nagi, M. H., 1988. ‘Fertility patterns and differences in Israel’, Biology and Society 5: 119–126.
Notzer, N., Levran, D., Mashiach, S. and Soffer, S., 1984. ‘Effect of religiosity on sex attitudes, experience, and contraception among university students’, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy 10: 57–62.
Okun, B., 1997. ‘Family planning in the Jewish population of Israel: Correlates of withdrawal use’, Studies in Family Planning 28: 215–227.
Osborne, S. A., 1997. ‘Bill sparks abortion controversy’, Christianity Today 41: 60.
Population Crisis Committee, 1991. Access to Affordable Contraception. Fact Sheet. Population Crisis Committee, Washington, D.C.
Powell-Griner, E. and Trent, K., 1987. ‘Sociodemographic determinants of abortion in the United States’, Demography 24: 553–561.
Rahman, A, Katzive, L. and Henshaw, S.K., 1998. ‘A global review of laws on induced abortion, 1985-1997’, International Family Planning Perspectives 24: 56–64.
Sabatello, E. F., 1990. ‘Estimates of illegal abortion in Israel, 1980-1983’, Israel Journal of Medical Science 26: 204–209.
Sabatello, E. F., 1992. ‘Estimates of demand for abortion among Soviet immigrants in Israel’, Studies in Family Planning 23: 267–273.
Sabatello, E. F., 1995. ‘Continuity and change in reproductive and abortion patterns of Soviet immigrants in Israel’, Social Science and Medicine 40: 117–124.
Sabatello, E. F. and Yaffe, N., 1988. ‘Israel’, in P. Sachdev (ed), International Handbook on Abortion. Greenwood Press, New York, 263–278.
Schiff, G. S., 1981. ‘The politics of fertility policy in Israel’, in P. Ritterband (ed), Modern Jewish Fertility. E. J. Brill, Leiden, 255–278.
Schmelz, U. O., 1989. ‘Religiosity and fertility among the Jews of Jerusalem’, in U.O. Schmelz and S. Della Pergola (eds), Papers in Jewish Demography 1989. Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Jerusalem, 157–185.
Schmelz, U. O., Della Pergola, S. and Avner, U., 1990. Ethnic Differences among Israeli Jews: A New Look. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem.
Silber, T. J., 1980. ‘Abortion: A Jewish view’, Journal of Religion and Health 19: 231–239.
Slater, P. E., Weiner, D. and Davies, A. M., 1978. ‘Requests for abortion and outcomes of pregnancy in Jerusalem, Israel’, Journal of Reproductive Medicine 21: 279–283.
Slonim-Nevo, V., 1988. ‘Abortions among Jewish women after interruption in contraceptive use’, Health and Social Work 3: 137–144.
Tietze, C., 1983. Induced Abortion: A World Review. Population Council, New York.
van der Tak, J., 1974. Abortion, Fertility and Changing Legislation: An International Review. Lexington Books, Lexington, Massachusetts.
Wilder, E. I., 2000. ‘The contraceptive revolution in Israel: Changing family planning practices among ethnoimmigrant groups’, Social Science Research, forthcoming.
Yaffe, N., 1976. Family Planning in Israel. (In Hebrew.) Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Yishai, Y., 1978. ‘Abortion in Israel: Social demand and political responses’, Policy Studies Journal 7: 270–289.
Yishai, Y., 1993. ‘The hidden agenda: Abortion politics in Israel’, Journal of Social Policy 22: 193–212.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wilder, E.I. Socioeconomic and Cultural Determinants of Abortion Among Jewish Women in Israel. European Journal of Population 16, 133–162 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006351225920
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006351225920