Resource information
Do women have effective land rights in practice? Research and policy have only recently begun to engage with the need for women to have independent rights to fields of their own. What needs to be done? Four areas for action are identified with associated strategies: improve women's claims on private land (e. g. through gender equal inheritance laws); improve women's access to public land (e.g. through land reform schemes); improve women's access to land via the market (e.g. through subsidised credit); and improve the viability of women's farming efforts (e.g. through agricultural extension services targeted at women farmers). However, even in contexts of progressive social movements and legal reforms (such as in India), the realisation of women's independent land rights has been difficult. Rights are constrained in practice by obstacles such as social biases that prevent the implementation of pro-female laws, and women's lack of effective control over land they have rights to. The best way to achieve progress is therefore through women's collective action, involving gender equality advocates in the state, political parties, and civil society organisations.
