1 ‫עמוד‬

West Bank restrictions

Palestinian
affecting
genderroles, finds
report
With fewer men employed, women forced
into the jobmarket, says World Bank study
RON FRIEDMAN
The report found that in employment because of occu- temperedness that men, work; supporting edu-
quality
By
,7002 pation measures suffer women and children have to cation and youth employ-
nearly60 percent of may
Palestinians nei- from higherrates of domestic contend with inside house- ment; facilitatingsocial cohe-
Israel's policiesof move- working-age
ther in any type violence, although this holds." sion, especiallyin Area and
ment restriction in the West participated
of recorded economic activi- remains inconclusive and The World Bank report rec- other areas isolated by move-
Bank have disruptedgender
relations among the Palestin- ty,paid or unpaid,nor were requires further investiga- ommended four main ways ment and access restriction
for work. tion. What did come across the PA could ameliorate the and better data
collecting on
ian to
according
population, searching
"In response to male retreat from the focus group discus- situation:
Creatingand sup- gender-specificeconomic
a. report publishedMonday sions was the ever-present porting enabling environ-
from the labor market, participation.
by the World Bank.
The in
women have had to stepinto anger, frustration and short ments for safe and decent "The relaxations on restric
report, produced
the public sphere and
partnership with CARE Inter-
to prevent
employ strategies
national, West Bank and
Gaza, and the Women's Stud- family destitution and aid
ies Institute at Birzeit Univer- dependence," stated the
report."Women's stepped-up
sity,found that economic
involvement in work in the
hardshipcaused by loss of
male employment opportu- publicspherehas come at
cost: Women must carefully
nities in Israel hadchanged
the traditional familyroles, navigatethe need to behave
in manner that is culturally
pushing many Palestinian
appropriatewith the need for
women of the home
out and
into the job market.
increased mobility; they
Researchers worked for two must tread carefully by not
overstatingtheir new role as
years examining information
on economic trends between provider,for the sake of pre-
2000 and .7002
The servingfamilyharmony; and
researchers concluded that they must add to their
the liftingof movement alreadyburdened productive
restrictions was the most
and reproductive household
roles, that of their increased
comprehensiveway to ease
economic participation."
the hardshipfaced by Pales-
The reportfound that the
tinian women. Barringthat,
they said, there were steps
avenues women pursuedto
help maintain their families
the Palestinian Authority
were varied.
eeuld take to the
helprectify
situation.
"Survival strategieshave
been diverse and multifac-
"As controls on movement
eted and include searching
became more entrenched fol-
for jobsin the formal sector
lowing the second intifada
massive
,)0002( economic (publicsector and services),
decline ensued, delayingtheir exit from the
leadingto
drop in male employment public sector (traditionally
women would have left jobs
and real wages from
resulting after marriage),home pro-
job losses in Israel,and cor-
duction of food and other
responding rise in unem-
ployment,"read the report. goods, sellingor bartering
"With the shrinkingof the food coupons, borrowing
from neighborsand volun-
Israelimarket for Palestinian
labor and the contraction of teering with charitable

the productive sectors of the

it
organizations," said.
The new roles of women
Palestinian economy experi-
have led to in the
tension
enced over the last seven
years, men have retreated family,the report found:

from the labor market for "Althoughfew data are avail-

able on the prevalenceof
lack of opportunities
."
domestic violence in the
,West Bank and Gaza, the lim-
ited information that isavail-
able shows that households
in which men have lost
 2 ‫עמוד‬

,.;■;■»?

RESTRICTIONS ON Palestinian movement in the West Bank has pushedmany women out of the home
and into the jobmarket, accordingto reportpublished yesterday.(Ariel JerusalemPost)
|eraz01imski/The

tions on movement that have all the Palestinian ministries, were also submitted to the PA
startedin 2009 have not been as well as others with stake Prime Minister's Office to
sufficient to reverse the such as
in the matter, donor contribute to Prime Minister
trends," read the report. governments. The recom- Salam development
Fayyad's
The reportwas circulated to mendations of the report plan