Women in terrorism: Exploring the motivations of women joining terrorist organizations

Many studies try to identify the motivations of individuals to join terrorist organizations. Current research delves into personal, economic, political, and psychological motivations. This thesis looks at three terrorist organizations, the Chechen Black Widows, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, to identify the motivations of women joining these organizations. This study attempts to find important factors when looking at these motivations. In all three cases, different variables are present. After studying these factors, this study compares and finds similarities between the cases to understand motivations. This thesis finds that the most important factors are personal and strategic and operational motivations