Well-Being and Work Satisfaction among Female Academic Ultra-Orthodox Employees: The Roles of Personal, Familial, Community, and Organizational Resources

Dr. Sarah Abu-Kaf1, Prof. Orna Braun-Lewensohn1

1Conflict Management and Resolution Program, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

aks@bgu.ac.il

The dialectic process by which ultra-orthodox women go out into the workforce involves significant coping at the practical and emotional level. The movement between a non-Western, traditional society with religious social norms and a nonreligious liberal society presents these women with significant challenges and may place them in positions of ongoing conflict in their workplaces. From a social perspective employers and work colleagues present these women with opportunities to develop relationships that include emotional and social interaction. These women embody the processes of familial and social change that their communities are currently experiencing.

This study was designed to evaluate resources that aid and promote their well-being and work satisfaction of academic ultra-orthodox women into the workforce. 304 ultra-Orthodox women ages 19 to 69 30.38 (SD = 7.8) participated in this research. Those women completed the Sense of (self) coherence questionnaire, The Family Quality of Life Scale, Sense of community coherence, Inclusive Leadership Scale, Employee Satisfaction Inventory, General Health Questionnaire-12, and demographic questionnaire.

The results indicated non-significant differences between the religious groups – indicating no differences between Lithuanians, Spanish and Hassidic followers in the resources and outcome variables. The results of the hierarchical regression for predicting the level of job satisfaction showed that there is a significant contribution of the variables income, personal and community coherence, climate of diversity and inclusion management. Well-being was explained through personal, community coherence, family satisfaction and inclusive management.

The current study highlights the importance of the different resources, at the level of the individual, the family, the community and the organization in the process of integration into the work of ultra-Orthodox women.