Women Pursuing Higher Education in Ultra-Orthodox Society

The study reported in this article concerns the beginnings of higher education for women in the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) enclave in Israel. Haredi Jews are a self-secluded fundamentalist group committed to particularly strict interpretation of Jewish religious law. In recent years, they have been compelled by poverty and other factors to allow academic education, hitherto considered out of bounds, especially for women. Focus groups with 32 Haredi women enrolled in the social work program at the Haredi College in Jerusalem reveal the obstacles the women encountered both from conservative forces in the community and from within themselves as well as the means that they used to cope with them.