Women Suicide Terrorism: The Strategic and Tactical Logic of Civilian Killings

A growing body of research indicates that women are increasingly involved in suicide attacks. These studies suggest that women, due to their seemingly innocent appearance, can more effectively target civilians rather than soldiers. However, these studies often overlook the strategic and tactical motives behind these attacks. This study argues that gender has become an important factor as terrorist organizations adopt new strategies—specifically, targeting civilians—and new tactics, such as using women to inflict high civilian casualties. Consequently, women are less likely to target well-defended security personnel, like soldiers and police, and are more likely to attack civilian targets compared to men. This gender difference in targeting behavior is supported by a statistical analysis of 6, 127 suicide bombing incidents from 1980 to 2016. Therefore, the counterterrorism community needs to develop effective measures to address the new security challenges posed by female suicide bombers.