Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Gender identity, nationalism, and social action among Jewish and Arab women in Isreal: Redefining the social order?

  • Articles
  • Published:
Gender Issues Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the study this article explores, the meaning of gender identity for religious and seclar Jewish and Arab women in Israeli society is examined. The study focuses on how Israeli women rank gender identity relative to other identities like being Jewish/Arab, being Israeli/Palestinian, religious or secular, of a certain ethnic group, and political identity. It examines the characteristics of gender identity and the attitudes that are associated with it. The analysis shows that the hierarchies of identities are different for religious and secular Jewish and Arab women, and that this is related to having different sociopolitical attitudes (e.g., Women’s social and political involvement, social obedience, social influence). Thus, the hierarchy of identities and the sociopolitical attitudes of religious women indicate a more consensual acceptance of the social order than the hierarchy of identities and the sociopolitical attitudes of secular women, especially among Arab women.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abrams, D. and Emller, N. 1992. “Self denial as a Paradox of Political and Regional Social Identity: Findings from a study of 16 and 18 year olds”. European Journal of Social Psychology, 23:279–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen, M.L. 1993. Thinking About Women: Sociological Perspectives on Sex and Gender. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashforth, B.E. and Mael, F. 1989. “Social Identity Theory and the Organization”. Academy of Management Review, 14:20–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Auron, Y. 1993. Jewish-Israeli Identity. Tel Aviv: Sifriat Poalim [Hebrew].

    Google Scholar 

  • Central Bureau of Statistics. 1992. The Statistical Yearbook, Jerusalem.

  • Cohen, I. J. 1987. “Structuration Theory and Social Praxis”. In A. Giddens and J. Turner (Eds.), Social Theory Today (pp. 273–308). Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Converse, P.E. 1964. “The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics”. In D.E. Apter (Ed.), Ideology and Discontent (pp. 206–261). New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Devine, F. 1992. “Social Identities, Class Identity and Political Perspectives”. The Sociological Review, 40:229–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenstein, Z.R. 1979. “Developing a Theory of Capitalist Patriarchy and Social Feminism”. In Z. Eisenstein (Ed.), Capitalist Patriarchy and the Case of Socialist Feminism. New York: Monthly Review Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellemers, N. and van Rijswijk, W. (1997). “Identity Needs Versus Social Opportunities: The Use of Group-Level and Individual Level Management Strategies”. Social Psychology Quarterly, 60:52–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Or, T. 1995. “Ultraorthodox Jewish Women”. In S. Deshen, C.S. Liebman, and M. Shokeid (Eds.) Israeli Judaism (pp. 149–169). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • El Saadawi, N. 1980. The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World. Tel Aviv, Israel: Massada (Translated into Hebrew by Sheffi Paz).

    Google Scholar 

  • Giddens, A. 1984. The Constitution of Society: Outline of a Theory of Structuration. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giddens, A. 1994. Beyond Left and Right: The Future of Radical Politics. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilligan, C. 1982. In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haddad, Y.Y. 1985. “Islam, Women and Revolution in Twentieth Century Arab Thought”. In Y.Y. Haddad and E.B. Findly (Eds.), Women, Religion and Social Change. Albany: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hays, S. 1994. “Structure and Agency and the Stickly Problem of Culture”. Sociological Theory, 12:57–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunsberger, B. 1995. “Religion and Prejudice: The Role of Religious Fundamentalism, Quest, and Right-wing Authoritarianism”. Journal of Social Issues. 51:113–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, P. (1980). Gender and Class Consciousness. New York: Holmes and Meier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Izraeli, D.N. (1994). “Money Matters: Spousal Incomes and Family/Work Relations among Physician couples in Israel”. Sociological Quarterly 35:69–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, R. 1996. Social Identity. Routledge: London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, D.R. 1991. Rachel's Daughters: Newly Orthodox Jewish Women, New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimmerling, B. and Moore, D. 1997. “Collective Identity as Agency and Structuration of Society (The Israeli case)”. International Journal of Sociology.

  • Kourany, J.A., Sterba, J.P., and Tong R. (Eds.) 1992. Feminist Philosophies, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy, S., Levinson, H. and Katz, E. 1993. Beliefs, Observances and Social Interaction among Israeli Jews. Jerusalem: The Louis Guttman Israel Institute of Applied Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshal, G., Ross, D., Newby, H. and Vogler, C. 1988. Social Class in Modern Britain. London: Unwin Hyman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mernissi, F. 1987. Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in a Modern Muslim Society. Bloomington: University of Indiana Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moghadam, V.M. 1992. “Patriarchy and the Politics of Gender in Modernizing Societies: Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan”. International Sociology, 7:35–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, D. 1991. “Entitlement and Justice Evaluations: Who Should Get More and Why?” Social Psychology Quarterly, 54:208–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, D. 1998a. “Gender Identities and Social Action: Arab and Jewish Women in Israel”. Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 34:5–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, D. 1998b. “No Longer Complacent?: Why Israeli Women did not Rebel?” Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 28:169–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, D. and Gobi A. 1995. “Role Conflict and Perceptions of Gender Roles”. Sex Roles, 32: 253–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, D. and Kimmerling, B. 1995. “Individual Strategies of Adopting Collective Identities: The Israeli Case”. International Sociology, 10:387–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ollenburger J.C. and Moore H.A. 1992. A Sociology of Women: The Intersection of Patriarchy, Capitalism and Colonization, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peres, Y. 1992. “Religious Adherence and Political Attitudes”. Sociological Papers, 1:1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sered, S.S. 1987. “The Religion of Elderly Oriental Jewish Women”. In S. Deshen, C.S. Liebman, and M. Shokeid (Eds.), Israeli Judaism (pp. 285–301). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shokeid, M. 1993. “The Position of Women among Arabs in an Israeli Town”. In Y. Azmon and D.N. Izraeli (Eds.) Women in Israel (pp. 423–441). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steeh, C. and Schuman, H. (1992). “Young White Adults: Did Racial Attitudes Change in the 1980's?” American Journal of Sociology, 98:340–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stryker, S. and Serpe, R.T. (1994). “Identity Salience and Psychological Centrality: Equivalent, Overlapping or Complementary Concepts?” Social Psychology Quarterly, 57:16–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. 1981, Human Groups and Social Categories: Studies in Social Psychology. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. and Turner, J.C. 1986. “The Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behavior”. In S. Worchel and W.G. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of Intergroup Relations (pp. 7–24). Chicago: Nelson-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, J.C. 1985. “Social Categorization and the Self-concept: Social Cognitive Theory of Group Behavior”. In E.E. Lawler (Ed.), Advances in Group Processes (pp. 77–122). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weigert, A.J., Teitge, J.S. and Teitge, D.W. 1990. Society and Identity: Toward a Sociological Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wuthrow, R. and Lehrman, W. 1990. “Religion: Inhibitor or Facilitator of Political Involvement among Women?” In L. Tilly and P. Gurin (Eds.), Women, Politics and Change (pp. 300–322). New York: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

    Dahlia Moore (senior lecturer)

  2. College of Management, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Dahlia Moore (senior lecturer)

Authors
  1. Dahlia Moore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Her main fields of interest are sociopolitical attitudes, perceptions of justice and gender issues. She is currently conducting a comparative research on the attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes of Jewish, Arabs, and Palestinian high school students. Dr. Moore is also an advisor to the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset) Committee for Women's Status.

The research was financed by the Eshkol Institute for Social, Political, and Economic Research. We are grateful to Hanna Levinson and Majid al-Haj who managed data collection at the Guttman Institute of Applied Research.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Moore, D. Gender identity, nationalism, and social action among Jewish and Arab women in Isreal: Redefining the social order?. Gend. Issues 18, 3–28 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-000-0008-z

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-000-0008-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation