A Gender Perspective on Repression the Effect of Gender-based Violence on the Likelihood of Success for Maximalist Nonviolent Campaigns

Abstract: This thesis investigates how repression in the form of gender-based violence (GBV) towards women in maximalist nonviolent campaigns affect the likelihood of success for the campaigns, as this has been identified as a gap in the previous research. The hypothesis in the paper was that maximalist nonviolent campaigns where women have been subjected to gender-based violence are more likely to succeed than campaigns where women have not been subjected to gender-based violence. In short, the theory was that GBV towards women in maximalist nonviolent campaigns would decrease the level of perceived legitimacy for the regime, which would affect people’s behavior and ultimately increase the likelihood of success for the campaign. A quantitative study was conducted to analyze this hypothesis, in which the results showed the opposite of my expected hypothesis. This thesis has contributed to our understanding of how gendered repression affects the likelihood of success for maximalist nonviolent campaigns.