The cost of being palestinian in Lebanon

Abstract

For over 60 years, long-term Palestinian refugees have been largely excluded from participating in the Lebanese labour force, yet no study has examined the socio-economic consequences of such exclusion. Utilising data from a survey conducted in three low-income urban neighbourhoods in Beirut in 2002, this paper provides a descriptive analysis of the cost of being Palestinian in Lebanon. Our findings reveal that, while exclusionary policies have not been successful at completely barring Palestinians from participating in the Lebanese labour force, this participation takes place at a cost. Palestinian men are segregated into less-desirable segments of the mainstream economy and earn lower wages than Lebanese men in virtually all educational and occupational categories. While Palestinian women are also segregated, they are more represented in professional occupations and in the health and social service sector. Nonetheless, this group pays the highest cost in wages due to the accumulated disadvantage of being Palestinian and female in the Lebanese context. © 2011 Taylor and Francis.