Paths to Middle-Class Mobility among Second-Generation Moroccan Immigrant Women in Israel

Methodology Appendix: Classifying the Women

151 Methodology Appendix Classifying the Women I used Robert Erikson and John Goldthorpe’s full-version class schema1 to define class categories rather than the collapsed seven-class schema, because the collapsed version compressed the class categories in such a way that I “lost” some class distinctions that were important to this study. This is also the reason I did not use John Goldthorpe, Meir Yaish, and Vered Kraus’s collapsed seven-class version of the Erikson and Goldthorpe class schema that they adjusted to Israeli society.2 Erikson and Goldthorpe’s full-version class schema is as follows: Class I—higher-grade professionals, administrators, and officials; managers in large industrial establishments; and large proprietors. Class II—lower-grade professionals, administrators, and officials; higher-grade technicians; managers in small industrial establishments ; and supervisors of non-manual employees. Class IIIa— routine non-manual employees and higher grade (administration and commerce). Class IIIb—routine non-manual employees and lower grade (sales and services). Classes IVa—small proprietors, artisans, etc., with employees. Class IVb—small proprietors, artisans , etc., without employees. Classes IVc—includes farmers and smallholders and other self-employed workers in primary production . Class V—lower-grade technicians and supervisors of manual workers. Class VI—skilled manual workers. Class VIIa—semi- and unskilled manual workers (not in agriculture, etc.). Class VIIb— agricultural and other workers in primary production.3 152 Methodology Appendix I also used Erikson and Goldthorpe’s full-version class schema to assign the women into hierarchical class positions. While this schema is based on types of employment relationships and the different benefits that these relationships generate, rather than primarily on the people filling these positions , I think that using it as I have does not lead to distortions of their approach. This view is based on Erikson and Goldthorpe’s observation that while “the schema is intended ultimately to apply to positions . . . rather than to persons . . . it is difficult to avoid referring to actual incumbents,”4 as well as on their comment that though their schema is not a hierarchical model, “good grounds” could be made for introducing a “three-fold hierarchical division” into the schema.5 Because this schema is an ideal-type model that I thought did not always reflect the class positions of the women in this study, I also referred to education, a major mobility attainment, to gain a fuller, more complete guide to placing the women in their class positions. In addition, I referred to the latest version of the Israeli government’s Standard Classification of Occupations for a more detailed breakdown of the occupations that I included in the middle class.6 This classification is more specific than the Erikson and Goldthorpe schema and is adapted to Israeli society. In my study I placed those women who were academic professionals in the high segment of the middle class. These were women who were high school teachers with two academic degrees and teaching certificates. Their position corresponded to the upper level of Class II in the Erikson and Goldthorpe schema. I placed high-ranking secretaries in the middle segment of the middle class. In my research these were women who held high-ranking clerical positions in the Municipal and National civil services and were not only secretaries but also performed administrative duties. They had high school matriculation certificates and a partial academic education. Their position corresponded with what I considered the upper level of Class IIIa in the schema. I placed the semiprofessionals in the low segment of the middle class. In my study these were women who were kindergarten teachers’ assistants . They had a partial or complete high school education and may or may not have had a matriculation certificate, but they had taken courses of two or three years in a postsecondary, nonacademic institution that granted them accreditation certificates to work in their field. Their position corresponded to what I considered low-level positions in Class IIIa. They are referred to as associate professionals in the Israeli government’s Standard Classification of Occupations.7 In allocating the women into the various segments of the middle class, two dilemmas arose. One was in regard to the class position of high-ranking clerical workers. According to the Israeli government’s Standard Classification of 153 Classifying the Women Occupations and to research on clerical work,8 this category includes a wide range of positions. Some are simple clerical jobs, and the women employed...