This series of the Israel Sociological Association, whose object is to identify and clarify the major themes that occupy social research in Israel today, gathers together the best of Israeli social science investigation that was previously scattered in a wide variety of international journals. Volume VI presents a composite portrait of women's lives in Israel, analyzing their status hi the family, at work, in the military, and in political life.

The editors start from the premise that Israel is simultaneously a modem industrial society and a traditional one with regard to the structure and centrality of family life. It is governed by both secular law based on the principle of equality between men and women, and religious law that imposes a different legal status between the sexes. Many of the contributors analyze the social contradictions of this paradox and how they shape women's options and experiences. This is the first compendium offering a comprehensive account of women in Israeli society. As such it should be of great interest to people hi women's studies, sociology, and Middle Eastern affairs.

Contents (partial): "Economic Growth and Female Labour: The Case of Israel," "Gender, Ethnicity, and Income Inequality: The Israeli Experience," "The Status of Women in Academia," "Scientists in Organizations: Discrimination Processes in an Internal Labor Market," "Economic and Familial Roles of Women in Israel," "Is Resource Theory Equally Applicable to Wives and Husbands?" "The Social Status of War Widows," "Getting Powerful with Age: Changes in Women over the Life Cycle," "Family, Gender, and Attitudes toward Retirement," "Ritual, Morality, and Gender: The Religious Lives of Oriental Jewish Women hi Jersusalem," "Women hi Legislatures: Israel in a Comparative Perspective," "Women and Politics: The Case of Israel," "Abortion in Israel: Social Demand and Political Responses," "Role System under Stress: Sex Roles in War," "Relative Deprivation hi the Labor Market," "Women and Language in Israel," "Teachers' Selections of Boys and Girls as Prominent Pupils," "Theories of Gender Equality: Lessons from the Israeli Kibbutz," "Ethnic Identity and the Position of Women among Arabs hi an Israeli Town."