“never Send a Man to Do a Woman's Job: Exploring the Effect of Civil War Duration on the Mobilization of Women Combatants in Civil War"
Open Access
Author:
Buckley, Christen Lauren
Area of Honors:
International Politics
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Douglas William Lemke, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Michael Barth Berkman, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Women Civil War Duration
Abstract:
This manuscript explores the effect of civil war duration on the mobilization of women in areas affected by civil war. The presence of women combatants and the duration of a civil war are two important circumstances of a civil conflict, and examining the possible relationship between these two factors will give scholars a more comprehensive understanding of civil wars. This manuscript expands on existing research regarding duration and women combatants. This manuscript uses two case studies to test the theory that increasing civil war duration affects the likelihood that women in those theaters will become formal combatants in insurgent forces. The insurgent forces of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Eelam and Nepal’s Maoist Army both formed units of women militants and recruited women from the civilian population. By examining these cases, I test the theory that as civil wars increase in duration, the likelihood that women will mobilize and join insurgent forces increases.
