NCJ Number
100396
Date Published
1983
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The proposed theory that explains why women become terrorists maintains that women are attracted to terrorist groups that exhibit feminist or socialistic principles and train women to perform functions similar to their male counterparts.
Abstract
Although women, except for a few notable exceptions, have played a relatively minor role in terrorist violence (politically motivated violence) in the last 30 years, female participation in terrorist incidents is likely to increase dramatically in the future. Female input in groups that champion feminist and socialistic objectives should be considerable. Women's attraction to violent and radical organizations is likely when dominant socioeconomic institutions are not responsive to their reform efforts. Contemporary female terrorists are likely to exhibit male personality or physical traits, since such women are most likely to reject typical female socioeconomic roles. Female terrorist acts are likely to become more instrumental and less expressive as women are trained to function in the interests of well-defined political objectives. 13 footnotes.