CONF/POLS SEMINAR
Impact of Women Insurgents on Rebel Group Effectiveness
ÇAĞLAYAN BAŞER
(UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN)
MARCH 21 2019 10:00-11:30
FASS 2034
How does the recruitment of women affect rebel group effectiveness? As mainstream research on conflict has overlooked gender until recently, our understanding of how conflict is shaped by gendered-dynamics remains limited. In this study, I provide a detailed examination of the conditions and mechanisms through which women affect the effectiveness of militant groups. I show that women substantially contribute to the ability of rebel organizations to challenge governments. I find that women insurgents contribute most to rebel groups primarily during crises, by enabling tactical diversity, appealing to broader international audiences, and leading the organization’s coup-proofing strategy against intra-organizational factions. The findings are the results of both cross-organizational large-N analyses and a qualitative case study of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). A variety of empirical sources is used in the analyses, including original data on noncombatant women participation in rebel groups, and the archive of PKK’s monthly bulletin between 1982 and 2015.