While gender has tended to be ignored in the literature on terrorism and political violence, a gender perspective of violent extremism has started to receive media and academic attention. However, experts identify the need for more systematic research on gender implications in terrorism and counter-terrorism studies. This rapid review of the literature finds that:
- Women’s roles – as policy shapers, educators, community members and activists – in countering violent extremism have started to be recognised.
- Various initiatives funded by international government and non-governmental organisations aim to support women’s role in preventing violent extremism, including by working with local grassroots women’s organisations.
- There is growing recognition that women’s complex roles may involve supporting or encouraging violent extremism.
- There has been a rise in women’s direct engagement in violent extremist acts, notably as suicide bombers, in the last thirty years for secular and (more recently) religious violent extremist groups.
- A large body of literature explores the drivers that contribute to women becoming suicide bombers, with mixed findings on women’s motivations.
- There appears to be a lack of systematic research exploring the relationship between violent extremism and violence against women and girls. Some insights into different facets of this relationship include:
- Cultures of gender-based violence can be exacerbated during conflict.
- Violent extremists with conservative or reactionary gender agendas are likely to victimise women.
- Sexual violence and rape are a form of terrorism and used as a tool by violent extremists, notably towards women and girls.
- Counter-terrorism measures may lead governments to fail to prevent or punish gender-based abuses.
- There are mixed findings on whether personal trauma, most notably rape, is one of the fundamental motivations for women’s involvement in violent extremism.
- Some experts raise issues in seeing all women as victims of violent extremism, arguing that this essentialist view does not reflect the more complex reality.
