Public Preferences, Gender, and Foreign Support for Armed Movements

Female combatants are central to rebel groups' outreach strategies. This Element argues that female combatants signal humane treatment and liberal values within rebel groups, attracting international support. It contributes to broader debates on the gender equality–peace nexus, humanitarian aid, rebel legitimacy, and gender stereotypes.

Female combatants are often central to rebel groups' outreach strategies, yet their impact on foreign support remains unclear. This Element examines how the presence of female fighters shapes international perceptions and support, drawing on original survey experiments in the United States and Tunisia as well as cross-national observational data. The findings demonstrate that foreign audiences are more likely to endorse government sponsorship of rebel groups with female combatants, perceiving them as more gender-equal, democratic, morally legitimate, and as less likely to harm civilians, even when they are agents of political violence. These favorable perceptions, in turn, increase the likelihood that democratic states will offer material support. In addition to establishing gender composition as a factor influencing external support in armed conflicts, this Element contributes to broader debates on the gender equality–peace nexus, humanitarian aid, rebel legitimacy, and gender stereotypes in nontraditional political spheres.