A Result without A Cause:
The Unique Pattern of the Israeli-Druze Fertility Decline

The academic and non-academic literature on the Druze emphasize their uniqueness. This rests on many components, the main one being the fact that they continue to live in closed communities; they maintain the confidentiality of their religion; the religion is closed to outsiders; and marriage outside the community is almost non-existent. None of the research on the Israeli-Druze, however, deals with their fertility patterns. The aim of this research is two-fold: first, to sketch the major trends of fertility patterns of the Israeli-Druze since the establishment of the state of Israel. The second aim is to explore the causes for the uniqueness of the Israeli-Druze fertility decline which occurred despite the absence of the major pre-conditions for sub replacement-level fertility rate in line with the Second Demographic Transition theory.

Population Review

Volume 62, Number 1, 2023

Type: Article, pp. 106-123

A Result without a Cause: The Unique Fertility Pattern of the Israeli-Druze

Authors: Onn Winckler

Authors affiliations: Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, University of Haifa, Israel

Corresponding author/address: [email protected]

Abstract

The academic and non-academic literature on the Druze emphasize their uniqueness. This rests on many components, the main one being the fact that they continue to live in closed communities; they maintain the confidentiality of their religion; the religion is closed to outsiders; and marriage outside the community is almost non-existent. None of the research on the Israeli-Druze, however, deals with their fertility patterns. The aim of this research is two-fold: first, to sketch the major trends of fertility patterns of the Israeli-Druze since the establishment of the state of Israel. The second aim is to explore the causes for the uniqueness of the Israeli-Druze fertility decline which occurred despite the absence of the major pre-conditions for sub replacement-level fertility rate in line with the Second Demographic Transition theory.

Keywords

Israeli-Druze, total fertility rate, age specific fertility rate, age structure, natalist policy, labor force participation rate

Acknowledgment

I would like to thank The Druze Heritage Center in Israel which financially supported this research.

 © 2023 Sociological Demography Press