War as women's work: dissident civil society mobilization and women's participation in rebellion

Abstract Much of the existing literature on women's participation in rebel groups focuses on issues of gendered security concerns as well as women's rights or integration into society writ large, through features like education ratios, employment rates, and political participation. We contend that, within this notion of social integration, dynamics of civil society organizations play a critical role in creating a pathway for women to join rebel groups during civil wars. Civil society organizations—especially those with an economic focus or specific structures where women can coordinate and co-mobilize with other women—provide interpersonal connections that empower women to be more socially engaged. Furthermore, when these organizations mobilize and participate in antigovernment dissent, this offers women important experience with high-risk activities as well as cues about heightened grievances within their communities. We argue that dissent by economic and gender-oriented civil society organizations provides pathways for women to subsequently mobilize within rebel groups in pursuit of their desired reforms. We test our hypotheses using new data on civil society organizations in antigovernment dissent in Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean, and find support for our theoretical expectations.