This report is based on research conducted among 30 Bedouin women living in recognized settlements and unrecognized villages in the Negev. The aim of the research is to present the current situation of Bedouin women in the Negev regarding employment-related issues, focusing on the structural limitations imposed on women, their unique needs, and their employment aspirations. This is done in relation to the type of settlement in which they live.

The document is divided into three chapters. The first part reviews the employment situation of Bedouin women in the Negev based on administrative data and government programs aimed at promoting employment for Bedouins in the region. The second part of the document presents the research findings – the experiences of the interviewees inside and outside the labor market. The third part of the document provides a summary of the findings and, based on them, presents recommendations.

From the interviews with the women, it emerges that:

The women who expressed the highest job satisfaction are those who experience self-fulfillment within their employment framework, those who see themselves advancing in the employment ladder at their current workplace, and women whose work framework allows them to balance household chores with income from employment.

There are differences in the employment reality of Bedouin women depending on the type of settlement in which they live. The most significant limitations for women living in unrecognized villages are related to a severe lack of public transportation and educational frameworks, alongside the absence of electricity and internet infrastructure. For women in recognized settlements, the limitations mainly stem from access to education and the limited, expensive educational offerings, which create dependency for women with young children on the family unit.

Women who are not employed for a salary, especially in unrecognized villages, have more limited and homogeneous social networks compared to employed women in recognized villages and planned towns. Women without social connections find it more difficult to enter the labor market, and the best way to establish these connections initially is through employment outside the home environment.

The motivation of women to integrate and advance in the labor market transcends the various types of settlements. The presence of Bedouin women outside the labor market is not due to a lack of motivation, but rather because of structural constraints that make it difficult for them to integrate into the labor market.

The low employment supply, combined with the structural conditions limiting women, results in horizontal movement for some women between different fields of work in search of a long-term position. However, their ability to move vertically within their current fields of work is significantly limited.