Retraining in Social Work for Arab Academic Women: Motivation and Integration into the Field

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been an increased rate of higher education among Arab women in Israel that has been accompanied by an increase in their integration into various forms of employment. However, the employability options of academic Arab women graduates are limited due to the under-development of employment zones in Arab localities in the periphery of Israel. This policy has led to persistent deterioration in the quality of jobs and a high prevalence of underemployment. To examine how these women cope with underemployment, the present study focused on Arab academic women retraining in social work. This qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews with 27 graduate Arab women who have not found employment suitable for their original training. The article examined their motives to retrain in social work (intrinsic-extrinsic factors), learning process and integration into the field, their social-family context, and the way it determines their coping mechanism. The findings reveal their path of retraining in social work in their attempt to overcome barriers and factors such as culture, family, and employment opportunities that contribute to the selection of this coping mechanism that resulted in new employment trends among them and obtaining quality jobs.