Public Perceptions of Female Peacekeeper Casualties in South Africa and India

Do female peacekeeper casualties decrease public support for peacekeeping in police and troop contributing countries more than male peacekeeper casualties? The gender protection norm shapes public perceptions of female security officers, as well as leader’s decisions in how and when to deploy female security personnel. Yet, little is known about how the public actually reacts to female versus male casualties among peacekeepers. Given that the public knows relatively less about peacekeeping compared to wars, and the differing contexts of a peacekeeping mission versus a combat mission, the public may react differently to female casualties among peacekeepers than female casualties among combat soldiers. In this survey experiment, I will examine whether the female peacekeeper casualties alter support for UN peacekeeping among the public more than male peacekeeper casualties in two troop and police contributing countries: India and South Africa.