Participation in Civilian Labor Force of Persons by Population Group and Gender, 2006

This table depicts a breakdown of participation in civilian labor force by religion and gender. Participation of Jewish males in the labor force was 83.8% compared to participation of 79.9% of males of all other religions including Arabs. The gap in participation rates among women is wider. The participation of Arab women in the labor force was only 33.5% compared to 80.6% for Jewish women. This gap can be explained by the cultural factors that require women in the Arab community to remain at home and raise the children.