As if I m a marginal player in this

“As if I’m a marginal player in this drama”: Gender issues in Arab female teachers’ stories

Research context

Theoretical background

Methodology

Methodology cont.

Findings & Discussion

“Everyone told me that teaching is the ideal job, especially in the Arab sector, as it suits society’s norms and is more acceptable for everybody than work in other areas. ” “There was always talk among the women, how good it is to be back home by 1 pm, with the children, and you can give them a hot lunch, and sit with them, and have time for their homework and after-school activities. It’s healthier for the family to be together after school, especially with the mother. ”

“I chose the Nursing Program, I was very excited about this and I felt that this is what I want. At this stage my parents and family members began to influence my decisions and my choice of profession. My mother began to cite examples of nurses who couldn’t face this challenge and manage both their work in the hospital and their work at home. The stories always ended badly – the woman gets divorced, the children do badly at school, and the husband doubts the wife or cheats on her because she works at night. Everyone around me began to encourage me to take up teaching because it’s a suitable profession for a woman, she can pay attention to her husband, her children and her home. In addition, a teacher is a respected woman, it is known where she is and she doesn’t work in the evenings or at night. ”

“I will never forget when I was selected to be a teacher. I wanted to at least study at the university, because that was my dream, but this sounded odd to my father, how will he let me stay far away from him and his criticism… He shouted a little, and said I have to ask your uncle’s advice as he had studied at the university, and ask him if this was a good idea. I was extremely surprised, and said but why? My friends will also study with me, and there’s no need to ask for advice, I will go to university. He didn’t argue and left saying nothing. Days passed and he denied my existence and the topic we had been discussing. ”

“The pupils in school were more afraid of the male teachers than of the female teachers, so the men were the leaders in the school, responsible for discipline issues, all the women had two men to help them when they needed to solve serious problems, and the pupils also ask me to call one of the men when there was a problem in class. I always found this insulting, I was new and wanted to have a strong personality, so I always refused to get help and I succeeded. The principal complimented me and began mentioning me to the other female teachers and this encouraged me, but the truth is, I could not compete with the two male teachers, they had better control of the pupils. ”

“My mother and father were the first to create a new law in the village – both marriage and studies. This was the only condition they presented to my husband, and he accepted it happily. ”

“I clearly remember the day my parents refused to allow me to participate in football practice. They said it wasn’t suitable for girls. I can’t forget that, just like I can’t forget the day they refused for me to study somewhere far from home. They refused to allow me to register at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem or at Tel-Aviv University and certainly not Be’er-Sheva University. They limited me to Haifa University at most. They were extremely worried what the neighbors will say if I study away from home and sleep away from home. That’s a really terrible thing, that girls can’t sleep away from home, despite the fact that my brother was allowed to live at the university dorms. ”

“He emphasized the fact that girls don’t work in such schools, as the population there is very difficult, and he felt that I, as a girl, will find it difficult to handle those issues, and you need to be a man to succeed in such a place. He even game ne names of female teachers who had began working there and left mid-year. ” This teacher gave up the job, “and to this day I don’t know why I didn’t fight and insist on having my way. Maybe it’s because I didn’t want to disappoint my father, or the belief that my father is always right and surely refused because he knew what was good for me. ”

“In high school I didn’t have one teacher who talked about academic studies, the psychometric exam, a future somewhat different than what was customary; so almost 70% of the girls in my year got married immediately after high school and very few went on to academic studies. Despite this I studied hard for the Bagrut exams, received a full Bagrut with a good average, and tried to study at a college but my parents didn’t agree, and did not support me financially or morally. After high school I worked for a year at a supermarket, got engaged and married at 19. By the time I was 25 years old I was a mother to three girls. ”

“During those years I remember that I had a lot of work at school and a lot of work at home, and I got pregnant by accident! This put a lot of pressure on me, and I found it very difficult to handle both home and work. My husband parents helped me a lot, but I was under tremendous pressure to function perfectly both as a mother and as a teacher at school. I would enter the school and think only of work, and I loved my work and the pupils, but I don’t remember this a a great and happy period. I also missed being a housewife, and wife and a mother, because I really love family life and my work as a mother. ”

“Again I turn to the other [woman] teacher and tell her about the project [setting up an externally funded English Room in school] and despite the fact that she was the coordinator she wasn’t happy about it, only because she didn’t want to work hard and spend more time in school because of this project, it’s important for her to be at home with the family. I also want to be with my family and children, but that doesn’t mean I have to devote my entire life to them, I also want to move forward and make my dreams come true. ”

“It’s important for me to thank my husband three older children, as well as my mother in kaw, who helped me over the past two years, and took a load off my shoulders, so I can get through the critical period in my [graduate] studies. I cancelled or put off many home and family related tasks, but I never cancelled school and college tasks. Maybe I had to postpone some college tasks, but I never dared cancel them… I’m almost done with my studies now, and I don’t intend to go back to school full time next year, unless I were ready to commit suicide!! Much pressure at work will cause a rapid collapse. I want to continue to succeed in all areas – personal, professional and social. ”