Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 2, 2026

War widow

In the broad sense, a war widow is a spouse who has become widowed as a direct consequence of any kind of warfare, including usual wars and guerilla warfare. This definition includes both widows of servicemen and of civilians. For legal purposes one may distinguish the de-jure war widows, i.e., the ones who have legal grounds to claim the war-related widowhood, and de facto war widows. In some jurisdictions, war widows may be legally defined as "the spouses of servicemen killed in action". These widows receive a special treatment, such as special widow's pensions or honors during military ceremonies. In addition to personal experience, war widowhood has profound socio-demographic and economic effects on the society.

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"Widow and Children", Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne source ↗

In the broad sense, a war widow is a spouse who has become widowed as a direct consequence of any kind of warfare, including usual wars and guerilla warfare. This definition includes both widows of servicemen and of civilians.12 For legal purposes one may distinguish the de-jure war widows, i.e., the ones who have legal grounds to claim the war-related widowhood, and de facto war widows.1 In some jurisdictions, war widows may be legally defined as "the spouses of servicemen killed in action". These widows receive a special treatment, such as special widow's pensions or honors during military ceremonies.34 In addition to personal experience, war widowhood has profound socio-demographic and economic effects on the society.5

Associations for war widows

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Brounéus, Karen; Forsberg, Erika; Höglund, Kristine; Lonergan, Kate (2024). "The burden of war widows: Gendered consequences of war and peace-building in Sri Lanka". Third World Quarterly. 45 (3): 458–474. doi:10.1080/01436597.2023.2250727.
  2. Tamanna Edwards, War Widows: The Hidden Battles – The Journey of Rebuilding Life
  3. Blackburn, Susan (2010). "The Impact of Armed Conflict on Widowhood: Case Studies from Sri Lanka, Cambodia and East Timor". Asian Journal of Women's Studies. 16 (4): 60–90. doi:10.1080/12259276.2010.11666098.
  4. Pawlowsky, Verena; Wendelin, Harald (2010). "Government Care of War Widows and Disabled Veterans after World War I". From Empire to Republic. Vol. 19. University of New Orleans Press. pp. 171–191. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1n2txcs.12. ISBN 978-1-60801-025-7. JSTOR j.ctt1n2txcs.12.
  5. Braun, Sebastian T.; Stuhler, Jan (2024). "The economic consequences of being widowed by war: A life-cycle perspective". Journal of Public Economics. 239 105241. arXiv:2410.15439. doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105241.