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Erschienen in: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine 6/2017

11.04.2017

The Impact of Militarism, Patriarchy, and Culture on Israeli Women’s Reproductive Health and Well-Being

verfasst von: Leeat Granek, Ora Nakash

Erschienen in: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine | Ausgabe 6/2017

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Abstract

Purpose

In this paper, we situate and frame Israeli women’s reproductive health within the social, historical, political, cultural, and geographical context of Israeli women’s lives.

Methods

We used a theoretical review in this paper.

Results

Militarism, patriarchy, and cultural values heavily shape and influence Jewish and Arab women’s access to and experience of reproductive health when it comes to the imperative to have children, pregnancy, birth, access to contraception and abortion, and other reproductive healthcare services. We discuss five main factors pertaining to Israeli women’s reproductive health including (1) fertility and emphasis on reproduction; (2) infertility; (3) pregnancy, birth, and miscarriage; (4) reproductive rights including contraception and abortion; and (5) maternity leave and accessible childcare.

Conclusions

Israel is a pro-natalist country, in which both Jewish and Arab women share many of the consequences of the social imperative to have children. Though Arab women, as part of their double minority status, are exposed to more mental health risks pre- and postpartum, the personal and public reproductive health decisions and reproductive healthcare services are largely shaped by similar social forces. These include the patriarchal and religious culture that dictates a value system that highly cherishes motherhood, and within the military political context of the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict and past social and political traumas. We address four major gaps that need to be addressed in order to improve Israeli women’s reproductive health and well-being that include the neoliberal gap, the information gap, the reproductive health services gap, and the leadership and policy gap.
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Metadaten
Titel
The Impact of Militarism, Patriarchy, and Culture on Israeli Women’s Reproductive Health and Well-Being
verfasst von
Leeat Granek
Ora Nakash
Publikationsdatum
11.04.2017
Verlag
Springer US
Erschienen in
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine / Ausgabe 6/2017
Print ISSN: 1070-5503
Elektronische ISSN: 1532-7558
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-017-9650-7

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