{{Short description|Woman who has become widowed as a result of warfare}} {{for|a film|The War Widow{{!}}''The War Widow''}} [[File:Legacy Garden of Appreciation (Statue of Widow & Children).jpg|thumb|"Widow and Children", Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne]] 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.<ref name=twq/><ref>Tamanna Edwards, [https://indiandefencereview.com/war-widows-the-hidden-battles-the-journey-of-rebuilding-life/ War Widows: The Hidden Battles – The Journey of Rebuilding Life]</ref> 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.<ref name=twq>{{cite journal | last1=Brounéus | first1=Karen | last2=Forsberg | first2=Erika | last3=Höglund | first3=Kristine | last4=Lonergan | first4=Kate | title=The burden of war widows: Gendered consequences of war and peace-building in Sri Lanka | journal=Third World Quarterly | date=2024 | volume=45 | issue=3 | pages=458–474 | doi=10.1080/01436597.2023.2250727 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Blackburn | first1=Susan | title=The Impact of Armed Conflict on Widowhood: Case Studies from Sri Lanka, Cambodia and East Timor | journal=Asian Journal of Women's Studies | date=2010 | volume=16 | issue=4 | pages=60–90 | doi=10.1080/12259276.2010.11666098 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1=Pawlowsky | first1=Verena | last2=Wendelin | first2=Harald | title=From Empire to Republic | chapter=Government Care of War Widows and Disabled Veterans after World War I | date=2010 | volume=19 | pages=171–191 | publisher=University of New Orleans Press | doi=10.2307/j.ctt1n2txcs.12 | jstor=j.ctt1n2txcs.12 | isbn=978-1-60801-025-7 }}</ref> In addition to personal experience, war widowhood has profound socio-demographic and economic effects on the society.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Braun | first1=Sebastian T. | last2=Stuhler | first2=Jan | title=The economic consequences of being widowed by war: A life-cycle perspective | journal=Journal of Public Economics | date=2024 | volume=239 | article-number=105241 | doi=10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105241 | arxiv=2410.15439 }}</ref>
==Associations for war widows== *Army Wives Welfare Association *War Widows Association, New Delhi *War Widows' Guild of Australia NSW *War Widows Association of Great Britain
==See also== *American Civil War widows who survived into the 21st century *Marriage with a deceased wife's sister *War bride *War children
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:People associated with war Category:Women in war Category:Women by role Category:Women's studies