If the government were to subsidize better public transit in Israeli Arab towns, it would encourage Arab women to enter the workforce, according to a recent report by Kayan, an advocacy group for Arab women.

Only 30 percent of Arab women aged between 25-44 participate in the Israeli workforce, far lower than the 80 percent rate among Jewish women in the same age range.

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The report, which is based on a survey of the public transit system in 11 Israeli Arab communities, found that the minimal public transportation in Arab areas hits women the hardest, making it difficult for them to work or study and pushing them "to the margins of society."

Although many Israeli Arab communities have expanded in recent years, most of the public bus lines that reach these areas don't venture off the main roads, making it particularly difficult for women in those communities - who generally do not have access to cars - to reach the bus stops.

Tamar Kenan, Kayan's transportation consultant and one of the people who conducted the survey, said the organization began investigating the role of public transit after several women were unable to attend Kayan meetings because of the difficulty of traveling. Kayan's survey is one of the few studies of public transportation in Israeli Arab communities, a topic that has long been ignored by researchers.

The survey found that in most Israeli Arab towns, residents need cars to get around. For instance, there is no public transit at all in Umm al-Fahm, which has a population of 40,000 and is spread over a large, mountaineous area. Other Arab towns are served only by buses that travel on the main road that connects them to the large Jewish communities in the same area. Most of the Arab families in these areas have one car, which the main breadwinners - the men - use to go to their places of work. The women also have a hard time reaching the main road by foot because the towns have expanded so much, leaving them virtually unable to get not only to workplaces, but also to health clinics, educational institutions and other locations.

"Women used to work in the field near the home," said Kenan. "Today work is far away and requires travel. The towns have grown, and in order to reach the main road of the town, you sometimes need to walk long distances."

According to the survey, 85 percent of Israeli Arab women said they would use public transit within their towns if it existed.

Tagrir al-Ahmed, the community coordinator for Kayan's mobility project, said the organization is planning transportation networks in Daliat al-Carmel, Isfiya and towns in the Triangle region.