Abstract
Arab Israeli women are subject to unique social stresses deriving from their status as part of an ethno-political minority and from their position as women in a patriarchal community. Collectively, their health profiles rate poorly in comparison to Jewish Israeli women or to women in the vast majority of developed countries. Objectives: To examine the experiences of Arab Israeli women in the contemporary Israeli healthcare system, following implementation of the National Health Insurance Law (NHIL). Methods: The study combined quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. A telephone survey utilizing a structured questionnaire was conducted during August-September 1998 among a random national sample of 849 women, with a response rate of 83%. Between the months of January and July of 2000, qualitative data was attained via participant-observation, long and short semi-structured interviews, and focus groups in one large Muslim Arab Israeli village. Findings: Arab Israeli women in the national survey reported poorer self-assessed health, lower rates of care by a woman primary care physician, lower satisfaction ratings for primary care physicians and more frequently foregoing medical care than did native or immigrant Jewish Israeli women. Three major factors contributing to Arab Israeli women's healthcare experiences were elucidated by the qualitative study: (1) the threat of physical and social exposure (2) difficulties in communicating with male physicians and (3) the stifling effect of family politics and surveillance on healthcare. Discussion: We discuss our findings in relation to structural changes associated with the recent reform of the Israeli health care system. We conclude by suggesting policy measures for better adapting primary care services to the needs of Arab Israeli women, and note the relevance to other systems that aim to provide service to cultural and ethno-political minorities, in which healthcare delivery is shaped by unique local circumstances.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 101-116 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Health Policy |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2004 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The national women’s health survey was funded by a grant from The Commonwealth Fund. The study was conducted in cooperation with Cathy Schoen, Joan Leiman, and Elizabeth Siman-tov of The Commonwealth Fund, whom the authors wish to thank for their contribution. The authors would like to particularly thank Shuli Brammli-Greenberg for her immense contribution to the fieldwork, data analysis and preparing of the research report of the national women’s health survey, and to Shuruk Ismail for coordinating the fieldwork. The fieldwork was supported by the Hart Fellowship Program of Duke University. The authors would like to thank Makbula Nassar for her extraordinary willingness to share her many penetrating insights, and for her involvement in the village fieldwork. The authors would like to thank the Diab family of for their gracious and warm hospitality. The authors would like to thank Jeff Borkan and Micky Weingarten, for their professional encouragement, as well as Sammy Smooha, Hatim Kanaaneh, and Khawla Abu-Baker for many stimulating conversations. We are also indebted to David Wong, Yael Glassman, Alex Harris, Susan Kahn and Nira Reiss for their comments on previous drafts, as well as to Irit Elroy for the review of the literature on empowerment and to Marsha Weinstein for editing this manuscript. Lastly, the authors would like to thank all of the women who participated in the survey and in the in-depth interviews for sharing their experiences with us.
Funding
The national women’s health survey was funded by a grant from The Commonwealth Fund. The study was conducted in cooperation with Cathy Schoen, Joan Leiman, and Elizabeth Siman-tov of The Commonwealth Fund, whom the authors wish to thank for their contribution. The authors would like to particularly thank Shuli Brammli-Greenberg for her immense contribution to the fieldwork, data analysis and preparing of the research report of the national women’s health survey, and to Shuruk Ismail for coordinating the fieldwork. The fieldwork was supported by the Hart Fellowship Program of Duke University. The authors would like to thank Makbula Nassar for her extraordinary willingness to share her many penetrating insights, and for her involvement in the village fieldwork. The authors would like to thank the Diab family of for their gracious and warm hospitality. The authors would like to thank Jeff Borkan and Micky Weingarten, for their professional encouragement, as well as Sammy Smooha, Hatim Kanaaneh, and Khawla Abu-Baker for many stimulating conversations. We are also indebted to David Wong, Yael Glassman, Alex Harris, Susan Kahn and Nira Reiss for their comments on previous drafts, as well as to Irit Elroy for the review of the literature on empowerment and to Marsha Weinstein for editing this manuscript. Lastly, the authors would like to thank all of the women who participated in the survey and in the in-depth interviews for sharing their experiences with us.
| Funders |
|---|
| Duke University |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Keywords
- Empowerment
- Health care reform, Arabs
- Israel
- Primary care
- Women's health
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