This study examines why some rebel groups incorporate women into combat forces while others do not, and it concludes that leadership attitudes regarding resources and ideology are the primary determinants of such a decision. War has been a historically masculine phenomenon, and gender norms are deeply embedded across cultures. Periods of war only reinforce these disparate gender roles; thus, the decision to recruit women is a radical departure from the norm and is not undertaken lightly. Including women is the rational response of a rebel group to the reality of conflict with a militarily superior opponent, and although the mobilization of women violates traditional gender norms and challenges the prevailing social order, it uses scarce human resources. Reed M. Wood argues that the recruitment of women, then, is not explicitly indicative of a commitment to equality, but rather a strategic decision to improve the group’s chance of military success.

This work is an important contribution to the discipline of terrorism studies in several ways. First, the author’s conclusions have broad application to a variety of violent political movements: he defines a “rebel movement” as an antigovernment opposition group using armed force, which may include groups involved in civil war, rebellion, guerrilla war, insurgency, or terrorist campaigns. Second, the work offers an innovative use of resource mobilization theory, identifying rebels as human resources and a component in leaders’ decision-making calculus. Third, this book expands the traditional perspective of elite rule and policy making through its application to rebel leaders. Finally, the author links the presence or absence of a cohesive ideology to the status of women within rebel groups. The author argues that groups that lack a cohesive ideology tend to condone kidnapping, forced recruitment, and rape. In the absence of a common belief system, these violent acts forge a sense of unity among male members. Alternatively, groups that educate and socialize members around core beliefs are less likely to use physical and sexual violence against female members. Using insights from resource mobilization theory, group ideology, and case studies is challenging, but the author draws on a focused collection of relevant scholarship that provides the appropriate background for the book.

In chapter 1, Wood introduces resource mobilization theory and political ideology to explain the circumstances that compel a rebel leader to recruit women. As demands for resources increase, it is only logical to use the female half of the population as combat forces; however, this use of women as fighters must be consistent with the group’s political ideology. Marxist or egalitarian ideologies are much more accepting of women in combat or command than are Islamic ideologies that conform to rigid gender roles. The author posits that the religiosity of the group’s ideology is inversely correlated with the leader’s propensity to recruit women. Overall, rebel groups are more likely to use female combatants than are conventional militaries, but only when leaders value the strategic contributions of women over the preservation of traditional gender norms and social order.

The rebel leader is key to understanding the role of women within an insurgency. The leader, who is almost always male, establishes the organizational structure and rules that define women’s participation. He determines the level of participation that women are allowed, from cooking to combat, and sets the standards for how women are to be treated, including expectations regarding respect, sexual harassment, and abuse.

Chapter 2 addresses the strategic benefits of recruiting women. Within the context of a receptive ideology and a need for human resources, rebel leaders are more likely to allow female participation. Clearly, women contribute directly as fighting forces. They also elicit less suspicion than men, blending in with noncombatants and gaining access to prohibited or enemy-controlled areas. In addition, women serve as valuable propaganda tools to garner media attention and mobilize other insurgents. The author provides examples of female fighters being used to shame males into joining an insurgency and of imagery of women used to elicit sympathetic responses from the public.

Chapter 3 presents case studies of women in the Kurdish rebel forces of Turkey and Syria, Tamil militants in Sri Lanka, and the revolutionary movement in Zimbabwe. In all three cases, higher casualty rates created a stronger demand for rebel resources, resulting in more female recruitment. Wood also discusses women’s roles in gaining transnational support for rebel movements through propaganda. The book highlights the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) and its sophisticated use of social media to publicize female combatants and draw support from the ethnic diaspora and other transnational audiences.

Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the dataset and methodology used in this study. Wood presents a series of hypotheses linking the prevalence of women in armed rebellion to resource-challenged rebel groups and receptive political ideologies. The author notes the obstacles to procuring reliable and consistent quantitative data on female combatants in individual rebel groups but addresses that with “best estimate measures.” Overall, the findings support the contention that an increased need for human resources results in rebel leaders’ recruitment of women. In evaluating rebel operations, Wood makes an important distinction between different types of rebel activity conducted by women. Rebel activities such as combat, operating artillery, detonating explosives, and conducting assassinations indicate a certain degree of agency, whereas women who engage in suicide bombings are often restricted to that single activity. Findings in chapter 5 also support the argument that women’s participation is a factor, though not necessarily the primary factor, in influencing public perceptions of rebel groups and transnational support.

In chapter 6, the author presents some important policy implications and limitations of this research. Wood explains that the role of women in armed conflict can help determine the duration and the impact of insurgencies and other asymmetrical conflicts, because, as the findings show, resource mobilization of women usually results in a more successful outcome for the rebel group. These findings also offer a starting point for further examination of the process of strategic decision making in a rebellion, how those decisions are made, and what influences them.

This book marks a significant contribution to the research on women in armed conflict. By drawing on resource mobilization theory, Wood offers new insights into the topic and raises questions for future research. This study’s conclusions about religiosity, gender, and group dynamics also provide new territory for exploration. In addition, the author establishes an important baseline for expanding rebel resource mobilization and recruitment theories, as well as a foundation for counter-extremism policies. Wood notes that this book focuses on leadership decisions to recruit women and thus is not designed to address women’s agency or women’s individual motivations to join rebel organizations; however, the current study opens opportunities for future inquiry in those areas.