The Program for Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women at the Mahut Center in Haifa and Kol Ha-Isha in Jerusalem

JDC-TEVET initiated the Program for Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women to promote financial independence among women from vulnerable population groups. At TEVET’s request, the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute conducted an evaluation study examining the implementation of the program.

The program was implemented from July 2006 to June 2009 at two centers assisting and empowering women: Mahut in Haifa and Kol Ha-Isha in Jerusalem. At TEVET’s request, the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute conducted an evaluation study examining the implementation of the program and changes in the employment status of participants some two years after entering the program. To estimate the program impact on the change in employment rate, participants not employed at the time of entry were compared with a group of women of similar socio-demographic characteristics and employment backgrounds, drawn from the Labor Force Survey of the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The report examines the implementation of the program in Haifa and Jerusalem, the rate of newly-employed participants, the quality of their jobs and their satisfaction with work. The study was conducted in 2008-09.

Some of the main findings are:

  • 66% of the participants not-employed at the time of entry into the program were employed 15 months later, compared with 30% in the comparison group.
  • Other participants, employed at the time of entry, improved the quality of their employment.
  • All the self-employed and 81% of the wage-earners were very satisfied or satisfied with their work
  • In Haifa, the program was fully implemented. In Jerusalem, there were implementation problems: the number of participants fell short of plans and not all components were implemented. Nevertheless, the employment rated improved at both centers.

The study findings were presented to TEVET program directors, the directors of the non-profit organizations and the program implementers, and the TEVET steering committee, which includes various government representatives. During the implementation itself, the findings already served to make improvements. The study was initiated by TEVET and funded with its assistance.

Citing suggestion: Mandler, D., Naon, D., & King , J. (2011). The Program for Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women at the Mahut Center in Haifa and Kol Ha-Isha in Jerusalem. RR-579-11. Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. (Hebrew)