Why Gender Matters in Violent Extremist Propaganda Strategy

This policy brief presents the gender representations theoretical framework to analyse how and why gender is used in the propaganda and politico-military strategies of violent extremist movements. It argues that violent extremist ideologies break down in-group and out-group collective identities into individual “good” and “bad” gender identities, or gender representations. These representations are manipulated to maximise the effectiveness of violent extremist propaganda, and to construct a gender and conjugal order strategically designed to advance their own political objectives. The gender representations framework offers analysts a tool to examine violent extremists’ manipulation of gender to mobilise women and men, and can help in understanding the types of beliefs and actions that may be taken to advance violent extremists’ political objectives.