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- Title
The tradeoffs of using female suicide bombers.
- Authors
Soules, Michael J.
- Abstract
Why are there so few female suicide bombers despite their tactical effectiveness? To explain the rarity of this phenomenon, I examine the tradeoffs that armed groups face when using female suicide bombers. While rigid gender norms make female bombers more effective because security personnel are less suspicious of them, gender inequality also drives down the demand for female suicide bombers. I posit that the tradeoffs of using female bombers induce a curvilinear relationship between women's status and the prevalence of female suicide bombers. Specifically, I argue that female bombers will be more common in countries with middling levels of gender equality than in highly equal or unequal societies. Using data on over 5,500 suicide attacks, from 1974 to 2016, I find support for this hypothesis.
- Subjects
SUICIDE bombers; GENDER inequality; SUICIDE bombings; FEMALES; SECURITY personnel; SOCIAL norms
- Publication
Conflict Management & Peace Science, 2022, Vol 39, Issue 1, p3
- ISSN
0738-8942
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/0738894220948506