70% of ultra-Orthodox men don't work

A new study conducted by the Van Leer Institute ahead of a conference on the advancement of the ultra-Orthodox sector in Israel shows that less than 50% of adults in the community are employed. This

compared to an average of 20% in the secular sector.

Only 30% of ultra-Orthodox men are regularly employed, compared to 40% of ultra-Orthodox women.

60% of men said religious studies were their sole focus and over 40% of women said the same with regards to domestic care.

The poll, conducted regularly since 2002, indicated both male and female ultra-Orthodox employees were putting in more hours than previous years.

The study also found that ultra-Orthodox employees were more likely to say they were satisfied with jobs compared to their secular and religious counterparts.

A higher percent of ultra-Orthodox employees also said their line of work was directly related to their field of education compared to other sectors.

Almost half of ultra-Orthodox employees said they were content with their income level and 80% said they

felt fulfilled by their work. Men were more likely to be content with their income compared to women, in both ultra-Orthodox and secular sectors.

The Van Leer Institute polled 7,000 adult members of the ultra-Orthodox community and reported a possible 3% margin of error for the study.