Sex, Gender, and Culture: Women and War

Learning Objectives  Describe the various roles women have in times of conflict or war.  Identify how war or conflict impact women relative to men.  Describe examples to illustrate women’s roles in conflict and war.  Identify and analyze the hypotheses for women’s involvement in conflict and war. In particular, identify the hypotheses on female suicide bombers.

The Many Roles of Women (1) ________________  active duty personnel  high numbers in revolutionary movements worldwide  female suicide bombers becoming more common

The Many Roles of Women (2) ______________  shelter, hide, feed or protect combatants  run messages to troops in hiding  collect or carry supplies

The Many Roles of Women (3) ______________  often at forefront of peace activism  involved in grass- roots programs

The Many Roles of Women (4) _______________  abuse of women affects whole community  ‘Inclusive wars’

Does war impact women differently?  ____________ ___________may be one of hardest consequences for women  1.  2.

Does war impact women differently?  __________ as a tool of war  Fear  Dominance  Shame  Pregnancy  Infection with STDs

The Sandinista Revolution:  Revolution in response to right-wing Somoza family, who ruled for about 40 years  Overthrew government in 1979 and ruled the country for until 1990 with an “applied” Marxist government

The Sandinista Revolution:  unprecedented involvement of women  ______________________  organizers and persuaders  even _______________

Female combatants/ bombers  Women are becoming more active in the current war  Huge increase in the last 10 years of women bombers/ terrorists  Chechnya’s “Black Widows”

Marital Status – Chechen Female Suicide Bombers ( ) (n=26) (Taken from Speckhard and Akhmedova, 2006, Table 2, p66) 13 – Single 3 – Married 4 - Divorced 5 – Widowed 1 – Remarried Speckhard A, Akhmedova K Black Widows: The Chechen Female Suicide Terrorists. In Schweitzer Y (editor). Female suicide terrorists. Tel Aviv: Jaffe Center Publication. P Data on Black Widows ( )

 “Revenge for the death of a close family member is most often cited as the key factor for women’s involvement,” (Bloom, 2011, p. 11)  Djennet Abdurakhmanova – vengeance of her husband who was killed by Russian in Dec 2009  She committed her attack in ________________  Bloom (2001) argues, __________________________ Why Participate? Review of Recent Research & Events Bloom M Bombshells: Women and Terror. Gender Issues 28: 1-21.

Why Participate? Review of Recent Research & Events “Djennet’s radicalization and involvement…clearly predates Umalat’s targeted assassination,” (Bloom, 2011, p11) Bloom M Bombshells: Women and Terror. Gender Issues 28: 1-21.

Healing’s Article  Who are the “White Stockings”?  What does the author suggest is the reason for the “myth” of the “White Stockings”?  How are Chechen women joining the resistance?