What Drives Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Men to Go to Work in Israel?

Abstract

Abstract Only about half of the ultra-Orthodox men in Israel dedicate their lives mainly to religious studies, while the rest participate in the labor market. Utilizing siblings with different labor market outcomes sampling, we collected retrospective data on ultra-Orthodox men who earn a living (N = 107), matched to their brothers (N = 103) who study in yeshiva as a way of life. Our logit model indicates that aspirations for upward mobility are positively associated with the likelihood of an ultra-Orthodox man entering the labor market, whereas the preference for religious studies and economic support of wives are associated with a decrease in an ultra-Orthodox man’s chances to join the labor market. Just as important, our findings show that among the group of men who study in yeshiva as a way of life, there is a subgroup that leads a less conservative lifestyle than is customary in ultra-Orthodox society and has relatively high personal aspirations.