ABSTRACT
The various population estimates suggest that the Occupied Palestinian Territory, like the rest of the Arab world, still has high rates of fertility and population growth. In light of health concerns as well as socioeconomic problems, both of which are linked to high fertility, further investigation into family planning behavior in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is warranted. Reliable demographic data on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also known as the West Bank and Gaza Strip, are scarce. Impeded by Israeli-imposed restrictions and lacking the necessary resources, both financial and organizational, Palestinians have encountered great difficulty in gathering information on their own population. Female education is increasingly accepted by Palestinians as a key factor in improving child health and reducing infant mortality — that is, in creating better mothers. Female employment is widely regarded as a threat to the integrity of the traditional family unit, in which the husband acts as breadwinner and the wife as mother/homemaker.
