Fighting for Peace? The Direct and Indirect Effects of Women's Participation in Rebel Groups on Peace Negotiations

A burgeoning body of research examines how women's inclusion influences civil war peace processes. While scholars note that women's inclusion can positively affect peace, the theoretical mechanisms remain underexamined. This article begins to address this lacuna by examining how female rebels affect the probability of peace talks. We propose that women's inclusion directly affects the likelihood a rebel group participates in negotiations with the state by increasing its propensity to cooperate and compromise. Our analysis of 112 African rebel groups fighting in civil wars between 1989 and 2014 finds that women's participation in rebel groups affects the likelihood of negotiation onset. We analyze the mechanism driving this relationship and find that rebel groups with women members are more likely to issue negotiation requests to the government. These findings offer nuance to the women-and-peace hypothesis and demonstrate that even women with higher propensities toward violence can be a force for peace.