Hopes and misguided expectations: How policy documents frame gender in efforts at preventing terrorism and violent extremism

The research examines the framing of gender in P/CVE policies from 2001 to 2017, identifying a dichotomy between a transformative approach to preventing women's radicalization and a traditionalist approach that instrumentalizes women's domestic roles as security assets. It finds that while women are heavily scrutinized as either victims or preventers, men's gendered roles are largely assumed and less analyzed, and there is a significant policy gap regarding far-right extremism in the global North.

• Policy documents predominantly frame women's radicalization and recruitment as a consequence of gendered exclusion, suggesting that remedies should focus on human rights, empowerment, and gender equality.
• There is a strong narrative that instrumentalizes women's traditional roles as mothers, wives, and daughters, framing them as effective 'security actors' and 'voices' for preventing the radicalization of others, particularly men.
• The analysis reveals a gender imbalance in policy scrutiny: women are treated as the 'atypical' subject requiring close analysis, while men's gendered roles are largely assumed and receive significantly less attention.
• The framing of men's exclusion as a precursor to radicalization differs from that of women; for men, it is understood as marginalization in public arenas like schools and the labor market, often linked to criminal behavior or youth issues.
• The authors identify a critical gap in policy literature regarding the gendered underpinnings of recruitment into far-right extremist movements in the global North, noting that existing exclusion-based remedies may be misguided for these groups.
• Pushing women into roles as security actors in private spheres or civil society can create new vulnerabilities, as these women may become targets for extremist groups or face adverse impacts from counter-terrorism funding restrictions.

APA

Skjelsbæk, I., Hansen, J. M., & Lorentzen, J. (n.d.). Hopes and misguided expectations: How policy documents frame gender in efforts at preventing terrorism and violent extremism. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/3ea46635-550e-4107-80ec-19f917167453/Hopes and misguided expectations How policy documents frame gender in efforts at preventing terrorism and violent extremism.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Skjelsbæk, Inger, Julie Marie Hansen, and Jenny Lorentzen. Hopes and misguided expectations: How policy documents frame gender in efforts at preventing terrorism and violent extremism. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/3ea46635-550e-4107-80ec-19f917167453/Hopes and misguided expectations How policy documents frame gender in efforts at preventing terrorism and violent extremism.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Skjelsbæk |first1=Inger |last2=Hansen |first2=Julie Marie |last3=Lorentzen |first3=Jenny |title=Hopes and misguided expectations: How policy documents frame gender in efforts at preventing terrorism and violent extremism |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/3ea46635-550e-4107-80ec-19f917167453/Hopes and misguided expectations How policy documents frame gender in efforts at preventing terrorism and violent extremism.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{skjelsbkndhopes, author = {Skjelsbæk, Inger and Hansen, Julie Marie and Lorentzen, Jenny}, title = {{Hopes and misguided expectations: How policy documents frame gender in efforts at preventing terrorism and violent extremism}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/3ea46635-550e-4107-80ec-19f917167453/Hopes and misguided expectations How policy documents frame gender in efforts at preventing terrorism and violent extremism.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }