The Meaning of the Marital Relationship in the Lives of Three Generations of Bedouin Women

Abstract

Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, its Bedouin population has undergone many changes—from a traditional society to a modern one and from a nomadic life to permanent settlement—that have greatly affected the marital relationship. This is a qualitative study, using a narrative paradigm, of perceptions of the marital relationship in three generations of women in10 Bedouin families. An interpretive analysis of their life story interviews revealed differences and some similarities between one generation and the next. The first-generation women spoke in general about the woman’s role in the relationship and the man’s role, which was to defend, protect, and support the woman. In the two later generations, the women took upon themselves the overall responsibility for the marriage’s success. In the second generation, the marriage relied primarily on the behavior of the woman, whose role was to nurture the relationship and her husband’s reputation. The third generation saw the relationship as an escape from their suffocating birth family, a warm environment in which to rear children, and a way of meeting many emotional and physical needs. Although their expectations were often not realized, this generation, too, strove to preserve the relationship. None of the interviewees mentioned polygyny, although it is widespread among Israel’s Bedouins. And despite the intergenerational differences, there were some constants: “Women’s wisdom,” the key factor appearing in each generation, enabled Bedouin women to adapt to their marital lives and to preserve Bedouin culture.