We investigate the potential relationship between female combatants and conflict duration. We contend that recruiting female combatants extends war duration via its influence on state–rebel bargaining. The recruitment and deployment of female combatants contribute to divergent perspectives between the rebels and the incumbent regarding the rebel group’s capabilities and the depth of its resolve, which impedes successful bargaining and extends the duration of the conflict. Results from duration analyses using data on the estimated prevalence of female combatants in rebel groups active between 1964 and 2011 support our central hypothesis and suggest that the use of female fighters is associated with longer conflicts.

我们调查了女性战斗人员与冲突持续时间之间的潜在关系。我们认为，招募女性战斗人员通过其对国家与反叛者讨价还价的影响来延长战争持续时间。招募和部署女性战斗人员导致反叛者与现任者对反叛团体的能力及其决心的深度产生分歧，这阻碍了成功的谈判并延长了冲突的持续时间。使用 1964 年至 2011 年间活跃的反叛团体中女性战斗人员估计流行率数据进行的持续时间分析结果支持我们的核心假设，并表明使用女性战斗人员与更长的冲突有关。