In the United States, women are not allowed to fight in combat, but in some cultures women are thought to be of great importance in times of war.

Vijitha Eyango, gender and education adviser for the Asia/Near East Bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told an audience of about 100 people Wednesday night that women’s roles as perpetrators and peacekeepers during conflicts are often sidelined for men.

The women warriors of Sri Lanka, known as the Birds of Freedom, are an exception.

“Women have actively participated as perpetrators of violence,” Eyango said. “Historically, women have been combatants because of their physique and ability to conceal weapons. Women make up 35 percent of the fighting force in Sri Lanka.”

She said the Birds of Freedom, who range in age from 14 to 50 years old, are trained the same as men.

“They are literate, highly educated and have high levels of political awareness,” she said. “They choose to participate out of revenge for the deaths of their husbands, parents and children.”

Women’s roles in conflicts are usually represented as victims of “violence, rape, and psychological disorders,” Eyango said.

“The socio-economic effect of conflicts put women in a double bind,” she said.

Eyango said women, as primary caretakers and heads of households, must provide food, water, shelter and medicine to their families. They must accomplish this in areas in which women often have limited access to hospitals, land, means of food production and skill training, she said.

This is critical, Eyango said, because the majority of refugees and internally displaced persons are women and children.

“The political impact of war on women [usually] increases female participation in political activity and increases opportunities from women in public roles,” she said.

Women’s roles and opportunities change when the conflict ends and men return home, Eyango said.

Pat Miller, ISU coordinator of the Committee on Lectures, said Eyango came to Iowa State because of her extensive research and knowledge.

“Her information is certainly timely,” she said.