INTRODUCTION
Since the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and “Burn our Bras” women have fought for their cause of equal rights. It should also be assumed that parallel ideas exist as it pertains to becoming a terrorist. If a woman holds the same extremist values as her male counterpart, she has the potential to be a more effective terrorist. Women are underestimated, misrepresented, and understudied. Historically, women have always been in the background of terrorist activities. The most substantial of their services is giving birth to future fighters. Women have progressed to become active participants in terrorism as a means to support their cause.
MOTIVATIONS
“When men conduct suicide missions, they are motivated by religious or nationalist fanaticism, whereas women appear more often motivated by very personal reasons.” (Bloom Dying, 145) Women tend to be drawn to terrorism for five reasons: revenge, redemption, relationships, religion, and respect. Revenge is often used as a motivation for retaliation against the death of a family member. Women who are shamed use terrorism to “wipe the slate clean.” By becoming a martyr, they redeem themselves from their status of an embarrassment while transforming into a source of pride for their family. The woman’s family can also influence her role in terrorism. If the important men in her life, such as husband or father, are involved in jihad, she could be motivated or forced to follow suit. Arranged and strategic marriages
The women’s liberation movement (or feminism as it is now known) of the 1960s and 1970s touched every home, business, and school (WA, 705). The movement even touched the sports and entertainment industries, in fact, “There are few areas of contemporary life untouched by feminism” (WA, 717). The word feminism in the early 1960’s wasn’t often used and when it was it was used with condescension or hatred. However, in the late sixties that changed thanks to a new group of women. This new diverse group of women included the: young, old, heterosexual, lesbians, working class, and even the privileged. This diverse group came together and collectively created the second wave of feminism.
The feminist movement of the 1960’s focused solely on the improvement and well- being of women. The idea of Feminism is a critical theory as it is an analytical examination of social conditions and what tools could be utilized to proactively improve these conditions. Overcoming the consistent barriers women had to endure during this era remains prevalent and continues to have psychological effects. In order to strengthen one’s mindset regarding feminism, we must first refer back and understand the intellectual history of the women’s movement and examine areas of how counseling can assist with overcoming these impediments. The Feminist philosophy is the philosophical dimension of intellectual feminism. Many philosophers understand their intellectual history and the history of the women's movement in terms of three "waves."
1902 – federal suffrage via Commonwealth Franchise Act but with Aboriginal people in some States still without this right
Terrorism has no gender. Although most terrorists written about in social media are men, such as Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, female terrorists do exist across the globe. The George Washington University’s Program alone profiled twenty-five American women who have conspired with terrorist organizations. These women can be a variety of ages and have been known to travel outside of the United Sates to help support the terrorist group that recruited them (Dedman). Typically, women are recruited by social media or in person through manipulation and false promises. One example of a female terrorist is Sally Jones, who was notoriously known as the White Widow. Jones wreaked havoc across the United Kingdom, threatening citizens with terrorist attacks on
A multitude of factors contribute to any type of reasoning or psychological makeup of an individual; whether it is a person’s history of behavioral problems, inability to maintain a functional relationship, or in this case becoming part of a terrorist organization. In Sarah Kershaw’s “The Terrorist Mind: An Update”, we are able to see what drives a person to commit acts of terror where it is praised in a given community.
In the “Women and Organized Racial Terrorism in the United States,” Blee discusses about the relationship of gender and enemy, and gender and organization of racial terror. White Supremacist for the first time did not include women participation. Such as Ku Klux Klan, it was focused on white men to protect the women. Blee talks about racial terrorism as a nature strategy. It because the States could monitor the enemy and the opponents. The type of violence that happened were narrative and strategic. The narrative violence was happening in the States by men involvement, while the number of women were increasing in the racial minorities. There were some women who participate in strategy violence in the States, while the number of women who participated
The stunning changes for women that have come to fruition over those seven eras in family life, in religion, in government, in jobs, and in education which did not simply happen suddenly. Women themselves made these improvements happen, purposely. Women have not been the aloof beneficiaries of phenomenal changes in laws and human instinct. Seven eras of women have met up to influence these adjustments in the most majority rule routes: through gatherings, request drives, campaigning, open talking, and peaceful resistance.
Equal rights. A topic that has been craved by women for so many years. The right to be seen as equals to men, the right to not be viewed as weaker or less powerful towards men. The right to have the same opportunities that men are given. The right to equal life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that men are given. The Women’s Rights Movement officially started in 1848 with the Seneca Falls Convention, but the ongoing battle has still not come to an end. Although the battle is still present in modern society, women’s rights have greatly improved due to determined women filled with the hunger of equal rights. From protests to White House picketing, women have done numerous actions in order to bring attention to the Women’s Rights Movement.
The number of woman suicide bombers has increased since the official first case of 2002, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Whether the purpose of the fights is for independence, recognition, or religious ideology, woman are now being seen as having a critical part in the act of war and they are actively being recruited and trained. As shocking as it may seem, they are prepared to use the utmost violence to achieve their aims.
Some of the psychological factors behind martyrdom have been the fabrication of stories, or laying your life down for a higher power. In Japan in the 1940’s the Kamikaze’s would attack ships, and other strategic points to an idea that the emperor was god. This destruction of themselves transformed into a glory to the empire, and that idea was not uncommon. In the last several years, the Middle East has literally exploded with suicide bombers, and terrorists.
Time Inc. reports that “as the attitude towards victims has improved over the last several years in the broader culture and by police, self-blame and shame has persisted among victims, leaving them just as unwilling to come forward.”(Gray. para. 10)
Throughout history, Canada’s identity has changed in many ways and there have been many historical events that have greatly shaped and impacted Canada’s history and identity. The Women’s Movement and women’s contribution in the past and throughout history has had the greatest impact on shaping Canada into what it is today. Among many identifying qualities like being multicultural, bilingual, and world leaders, Canada is also country that has changed immensely in the way of becoming a country that has learned to accept women, move towards providing them with equal opportunities and treating them equally. Through economic, social and political movements and actions, the contribution from women and the women’s movement have increased, changed and improved women’s rights and equality greatly. Women worked to create independence and equality economically through their contributions to war on the homefront in WWI resulting in greater workplace equality, socially through the actions of the Flappers in the 1920’s giving women currently, the confidence and strength that they need to speak up, and politically, through the work of the Suffragists including the Famous 5 to allow women to have the same political rights as men.
All the publicity terrorism receives from the world, the news channels, and the world leaders, women’s contribution in terrorist acts has gone extensively disregarded. This isn’t a surprise considering how women are generally viewed in the world. Stereotypically women are viewed as weak, feeble, childbearing machines and never capable of being as good as a man. So to even consider a woman being a terrorist is almost unbelievable. Key word “almost. As Jean Bethke Elshtain transcribed in her book that, “Certainly when most of us think ‘terrorists’ we do not see ‘woman.’ The perpetrators, or the alleged perpetrators, who have flashed across our television screens in recent years are pretty much a youthful male lot.”
She speaks about vague concepts such as “vengeance” and perceived “unjust persecution” while speaking of the rationality of these actors (Crenshaw 1981). Her claim that motivations such as “vengeance” and group dynamics result in continued involvement in terrorist organizations is speculative (Crenshaw 1981). The argument that psychological factors can motivate individuals to participate in these organizations is put forward without the necessary supporting evidence to validate her claim. It is interesting that while she continually asserts the rationality of terrorists that she devotes so much time to the psychological factors that may color individuals choices. I would argue that while groups and individuals have a degree of rationality individuals in large part are just as compelled to act out of irrational motivations as rational ones. It would be interesting to see research that studies what individuals who carry out acts of terrorism(not the organizations and leaders themselves) identify as the primary motivation out of which they elected to take such drastic
The Women’s Liberation Movement greatly impacted Australia and the United States throughout the 60’s and 70’s carrying on to the 90’s. Without the Women’s Liberation Movement women wouldn’t have received changes in laws primarily regarding employment impacting on them moving forward in terms of equal opportunities. However there is still a there is still process to be made concerning employment and social roles for women to have equal rights as men. The Women’s Liberation Movement started in the 60’s during the second wave of feminism. Even though the 70’s were a time of change, both Australia and the United States saw women remaining in low status roles and staying primarily in the domestic sphere. The 90’s however saw a dramatic change in the amount of women employed and working more so in the domestic sphere.