Why Women Rebel: Understanding Female Participation in Intrastate Conflict
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Why Women Rebel: Understanding Female Participation in Intrastate Conflict Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Henshaw, Alexis Leanna Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 01/10/2021 12:35:38 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/293429 WHY WOMEN REBEL: UNDERSTANDING FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN INTRASTATE CONFLICT by Alexis Leanna Henshaw Copyright © Alexis Leanna Henshaw 2013 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2013 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Alexis Leanna Henshaw entitled Why Women Rebel: Understanding Female Participation in Intrastate Conflict and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy ____________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 Faten Ghosn ____________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 Gary Goertz ___________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 V. Spike Peterson ___________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 Miranda Joseph Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ____________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 Dissertation Director: Gary Goertz ____________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 Dissertation Director: Faten Ghosn 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Alexis Leanna Henshaw 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the preparation of this manuscript, I am indebted to a great many individuals across locations and disciplines. Each member of my dissertation committee brought a unique contribution to this work. I credit Gary Goertz for pushing me to carefully consider my concepts and methods, as well as for his encouragement in developing this as a mixed-methods project. Faten Ghosn was one of the earliest supporters of this work, and her influence is seen in my attempt to create dialogue between mainstream and feminist international relations, and between quantitative and qualitative methods. V. Spike Peterson is the reason why economic theories—and a critical interpretation of such views—feature so prominently in my discussions. Miranda Joseph provided valuable commentary on my interpretations of feminist theory, epistemology, and ontology. Aside from my committee, I am also indebted to all of the faculty and graduate students I have worked with in the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona. Tom Volgy was an early advisor and commentator on my research. Chad Westerland greatly influenced my training in research methods. Numerous graduate students have provided insightful commentary and moral support in my years of work on this project. They are too many to name here, but my most heartfelt thanks go to Ruth Alminas, Kara Ellerby, Liz Faucett, Sabrina Cotta, Naomi Oliviae, Aakriti Tandon, Jay Wendland, and Mike Ryckman and Kirssa Cline Ryckman. From the Gender and Women’s Studies Department, Laura Briggs’ course was a tremendous influence on Chapter 2 of this dissertation and several of the graduate students with whom I studied in that course pointed me toward valuable resources. The contribution of staff at the University of Arizona libraries is also immeasurable. Cheryl Cullier assisted me with the archival resources used in this project. Dean Carla Stoffle and Robyn Huff-Eibl are true champions of graduate students on the University of Arizona campus, and their advocacy makes many things possible. I must also express my gratitude to the University of Arizona’s Association for Women Faculty, to Katheryne B. Willock, and to the Feminist Theory and Gender Studies section of the International Studies Association, for kindly recognizing my research with awards and honorable mentions. This encouragement kept me motivated even in the most difficult times. Outside of the University of Arizona, special thanks to Colin Ellman, David Coller, and all those affiliated with the Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research at Syracuse University. The lessons and discussions at the 2011 sessions were of great help to me in developing this work. Finally, I would like to thank the greatest and most enduring influences in my life. My parents, Mark and Sandra Henshaw, instilled the value of education in my life early on. My grandmother, Barbara Cuthbert, has been a constant source of encouragement. My brother, Matthew Henshaw, and my dear friends Dana Ross, Elena Hyman Renner, and Nicholas Waddy never doubted my ability to achieve what I set out to do. And Rico, who always patiently waits for the lap top to be put away. Thank you for being a part of this journey. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………..9 CHAPTER 2. A COMBATANT BY ANY OTHER NAME: ASSESSING WHAT WOMEN DO IN WAR……………………………………………21 CHAPTER 3. COMPARING MAINSTREAM AND FEMINIST THEORIES ON REBELLION………………………………………………………………..55 CHAPTER 4. RHETORIC AND EXPERIENCE: TRACING WOMEN’S INVOLVEMENT IN REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS IN EL SALVADOR………………………………………….……………………..82 CHAPTER 5. WHERE WOMEN REBEL: A CROSS-NATIONAL ANALYSIS OF WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN ARMED REBEL GROUPS…...................................................................................…………127 CHAPTER 6. WHY WOMEN REBEL: AN ANALYSIS OF WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN RANK-AND-FILE ROLES.……………………………………………..……………………...151 CHAPTER 7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS……..………………………174 WORKS CITED…………………………………………………………………...187 6 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1. Alignment of Horizontal and Vertical Axes……………………………52 Figure 4-1 Women’s Roles in the FMLN, by Number of Mentions………………..95 Figure 4-2 Women’s Roles in the FMLN, by Mentions as a Percentage of Total………………………………………………………….96 Figure 4-3 Women’s Organizations Active in El Salvador…………………………120 Figure 5-1. Rates of Female Participation, by Region……………………………....143 7 LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1. Reported Percentages of Women in Selected Rebel Groups…………….10 Table 2-1. Indicators of Combat Participation………………………………………32 Table 2-2. Indicators of Noncombat Participation…………………………………..40 Table 2-3. Indicators of Participation in a Leadership Role………………………...43 Table 2-4. Indicators of Forced Participation……………………………………….49 Table 2-5. Summary of Participant Types and Criteria for Identification…………..50 Table 3-1. Gendered Theory of Rebellion Summarized…………………………….57 Table 4-1 Insights from Feminist and Mainstream Theories………………………..86 Table 4-2 FMLN Membership by Demobilization Category………………………..91 Table 4-3 Gender Distribution Among PTT Beneficiaries, as of 1996……………...92 Table 4-4. Hypothesized Motivators and Outcomes in the Case of the FMLN……………………………………………………………………122 Table 4-5. Women’s Roles in the FMLN, by Total Number of Mentions…………..125 Table 4-6. Women’s Roles in the FMLN, by Mentions as a Percentage of Total………………………………………………………………………125 Table 4-7. Women’s Organizations Active in El Salvador………………………….126 Table 5-1. Participation in Rank-and-File (Non-Leadership) Roles………………...136 Table 5-2. Women in Leadership Roles, by Region………………………………...138 Table 5-3. Female Participation in Noncombat Roles, by Region………………….140 Table 5-4. Comparing Women’s Participation and Forced Participation…………...145 Table 5-5. Composition of Movements Using Forced Participation by Ideology………………………………………………………………….146 Table 5-6. List of Rebel Groups Analyzed………………………………………….149 Table 6-1. Gendered Theory of Rebellion Summarized…………………………….152 Table 6-2. Composition of Movements by Ideology……………………………….155 Table 6-3. Factors Influencing Participation in Noncombat Roles--Results of Logit Analysis……………………………………………163 Table 6-4. Factors Influencing Participation in Combat Roles--Results of Logit Analysis……………………………………………164 Table 6-5. Factors Influencing Participation in Rank-and-File Roles--Results of Ordered Logit Analysis…………………………………..167 Table 6-6. Difference of Means Testing on Islamist vs. Non-Islamist Ethnoreligious Groups………………………………………..168 Table 7-1. Conflict Resolution, for Rebel Groups With Women in Positions of Leadership, 1990-2008……………………………………...181 8 ABSTRACT Studies indicating that women as leaders and negotiators have a pacifying effect on interstate conflict stand in contrast to the reality of