Multiple Invisibility: An Intersectional Perspective on the Invisible Work of Palestinian–Arab Women in Israel

Abstract

Although there is extensive research on invisible work and its relation to labor market performance, understanding this phenomenon from the perspective of women in multiple hierarchical positions in the Middle East remains limited. This study integrates a situated intersectionality perspective with the literature on invisible work mechanisms to examine how Palestinian–Arab women in Israel from various social locations perceive, experience, and manage invisible work within their homes and how this shapes their participation in paid employment. Based on qualitative analysis of three group interviews with Palestinian–Arab women from diverse classes and geographic spaces in Israel, three interrelated themes emerged. First, the study uncovers overlooked types of invisible work shaped by gender, class, and space, intensified by large families and extended kin roles in a patrilocal context. Second, women were found to adopt a self-sacrifice ideology while seeking to balance paid and unpaid work, yet their perceptions of self-sacrifice vary according to class and space, particularly where these intersect with structural constraints. Third, the analysis shows how social and structural inequalities shape both access to outsourcing and its legitimacy. Building on these findings, we introduce the concept of situated invisible work and develop a typology which captures how multiple intersecting layers of inequality shape women's experiences of invisible work and its relation to paid work differently across social positions.