Women in War: Militancy, Legitimacy, and Rebel Success

This project examines the role of women militants in influencing rebel engagement with civilians and improving rebel outcomes. A wide literature points to civilian support as key to insurgent success. The study demonstrates that rebels believe that women's militancy can make civilians more receptive to their grievances and that they recognize the importance of civilian support to tangible conflict successes. The conclusions find that female combatants, auxiliaries, and leaders make rebel victory significantly more likely and may sometimes increase the odds of peace agreements.