Six people are dead after a terror attack in Istanbul, with a woman believed to be the perpetrator

A Sunday afternoon explosion has left 81 wounded in a popular pedestrian thoroughfare in Istanbul.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the attack as “vile” and said “the smell of terror” was in the air.

Erdogan is travelling to Indonesia for the G20 summit but spoke to the media a short time before his departure.

Women in conflict are not a new phenomenon, but some researchers believe there are a lack of case studies on the topic.

Meanwhile, others argue it is a surprise when there is a new iteration of terror attacks with women behind them.

In fact, a 2021 study published in Perspectives on Terrorism, found discounting women’s involvement in extreme-right groups is an “analytic blind spot”.

“Women’s participation has been under-studied or ignored due to assumptions about women’s desire to participate in a particular group/movement and the organisation’s willingness to include women,” the paper notes.

In some cases, there is a distinction between active agency and coercion in terrorist activities. For example, in the case of women’s recruitment into ISIS.

In fact, women and minors accounted for up to 25 per cent of all recorded foreign ISIS affiliates in theatre, and around one-in-five (21%) of returnees.

Why do women become terrorists?

One study surrounding women’s participation in terrorism uncovered the factors, which drove women to ISIS.

“The group were less ideational and more emotional, such as feelings of acceptance, empowerment and the development of interpersonal bonds,” researchers found.

However, it went on to learn “once inside, some women do challenge jihadi gender norms, such as the prohibition of women to work and commit violent jihad.”

In most cases, women tend to prefer working within roles, which uphold gender norms than openly oppose the rules entirely.

The rationale behind men and women joining terrorist organisations is quite different. However, Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards from Queen’s University Belfast, said women are still making choices.

However, Professor Milton-Edwards believes some women still find their involvement in terrorist regimes as “a form of empowerment, liberation, and an opportunity to live in a society with a belief system that they subscribe”.