ISRAELI MORALE DURING THE GULF-WAR

This paper reports findings of a study on the influence of the Gulf Wa r on the morale level of Israeli men and women. Having at our disposal panel data from the pre-war period, we were able to measure the chang es in morale over time at the individual level by means of a standardi zed questionnaire. On the basis of previous theory and research, we ex pected that individual morale would be affected by proximity to risk a reas and by gender. The results indicate that, taking the panel as a w hole, the missile attacks bad only a small adverse effect on individua l morale. Contrary to our expectations, we found that people living in high-risk areas did not experience greater decline in morale than res idents of the low-risk communities. However, there has been a salient difference in the effect of the war on the basis of gender: whereas th e morale of women did not change, we found an appreciable decline in t he morale level of Israel's men. These results are discussed in terms of the unique features of the Gulf War with regard to the civilian pop ulation: while females were preoccupied with various activities relate d to the needs of the family, Israel's men became demoralized because they were unable to perform their traditional roles as soldiers and pr otectors.