Conflict and Feminist Mobilization: Global Trends from 1975 to 2015

Scholars of gender and politics have used cross-national data to show how conflict affects different outcomes for women, like the inclusion of women in constitutions in post-conflict states, increases in violence against women, and more. When considering the effects of conflict on women’s activism, however, cross-national studies are less prolific. Instead, national and subnational studies more often provide evidence for when and how women participate in and mobilize against conflict. This paper uses evidence from a new dataset on feminist mobilization in 126 countries across five decades (1975– 2015) to examine macro-level patterns and trends between conflict and feminist mobilization. How does conflict affect feminist mobilization over time? Does the effect vary by region? What other factors—e.g., regime type, state feminism, and state-society relations—influence the relationship between conflict and feminist mobilization? Given that feminist movements are critical drivers for progressive policy change on issues ranging from reproductive rights to political representation, understanding the effect of conflict on these movements has both theoretical and practical importance.