Menachem Rosner

Ownership and Alienation in Kibbutz Factories

As well as hiring workers who are members of the kibbutz and who, therefore, are owners of the means of production, some kibbutz factories have hired workers who are not kibbutz members. Our hypotheses, drawn from the writings of Marx and others, suggest both “individual” and “contextual effects” of ownership on alienation. At the individual level, hired workers will feel more alienated than kibbutz workers. Similarly, at the contextual level, persons in factories where some workers are hired will feel more alienated than will persons in factories that do not include hired workers whether or not the persons are themselves hired workers. These hypotheses imply intervening variables such as influence by workers that are examined through a path analysis. The analysis indicates only individual effects of ownership on feeling of alienation although ownership does have a contextual effect on aspects of the participativeness of the factor.

Relations between generations in the Israeli Kibbutz

The Israeli kibbutz is approaching social maturity; most kibbutzim were founded more than twenty years ago, the oldest have been in existence for fifty to sixty years. New membership today is drawn mostly from children of the kibbutz, whereas in the past most recruits came from outside.1 In the oldest kibbutzim the second generation already account for one third to one half of the membership; they form the largest single social group and fill some of the central roles in the community.2 The second generation are well on the way to taking over the economic, public, and social direction of the kibbutz from the founders and other groups of members who joined after its establishment. Second generation members upon reaching maturity tend to remain in the kibbutz in which they were born, except those who transfer to another kibbutz on marriage or abandon the kibbutz way of life altogether.3 The second generation member is, indeed, expected to continue to live in his kibbutz of origin, though he may spend a year or two helping a younger kibbutz.4 However, he is

Divorce in the kibbutz: Past and present

In the kibbutz today, there are no ideological or economic barriers to prevent a couple from deciding to divorce. Both husband and wife are assured continued economic security and equal opportunities for co-parenting, thus reducing fears of disruption in the daily contact with the children. In spite of these favorable circumstances, marital breakups in the kibbutz are less frequent than in the larger cities in Israel. In recent years, however, at a time when a stronger and more intensive family life has gained legitimacy within the kibbutz structure, there is a marked tendency toward a rise in the rate of divorce. In this article we analyze the possible causes of the variations in the frequency of divorce within the kibbutz framework.