How do voters perceive women ex-combatant candidates for political office? Previous research has found that women's inclusion in rebel groups can improve perceptions of the group, leading the public to view the group as more moral and just. Moreover, women rebels are often assumed to be less violent than their male counterparts. Yet, after wars, these positive connotations associated with rebel women shift, and rebel women can be increasingly villainized for their participation. We explore how these connotations impact the candidacy of women ex-combatants, arguing that they will be viewed more favorably than male ex-combatant rebel candidates due to gendered ideas about the roles of women and men in rebel groups, yet women will be punished for violating gender stereotypes. We test this argument using a conjoint experiment from Colombia. We find that women ex-combatants are preferred compared to male ex-combatants, however, the candidate's specific role in the group, use of different kinds of violence, especially sexual violence, and motivation for joining moderate or magnify this effect. This study has implications not only for the study of gender and conflict but also for the understanding of women's roles in and gendered effects of democracy, demographic and substantive representation, and post-conflict reconstruction.
