Gender roles are nowhere more prominent than in war, yet our understanding of the relationship between gender and war is confused. Joshua Goldstein analyzes the near-total exclusion of women from combat forces, through history and across cultures. He concludes that killing in war does not come naturally for either gender, and that gender norms often mold men, women, and children to the needs of the war system.

Joshua Goldstein is Professor of International Relations at the American University, Washington DC. He is the author of several research works and textbooks, and has specialised in research into the management of regional conflicts.

1. A puzzle: the cross-cultural consistency of gender roles in war; 2. Women warriors: the historical record of female combatants; 3. Bodies: the biology of individual gender; 4. Groups: bonding, hierarchy, and social identity; 5. Heroes: the making of militarised masculinity; 6. Conquests: sex, rape, and exploitation in wartime; 7. Reflections: the mutuality of gender and war.