The Economic and Social Benefits of Women’s Land Rights

An April 10 article from the Thomson Reuters Foundation discusses the importance of securing land rights – particularly women’s land rights – in order to combat poverty, enhance food security, and increase vulnerable populations’ access to justice. According to the article, “when women have secure land rights, family health and education improves; women are less likely to be victims of domestic violence and are less vulnerable to contracting HIV/AIDS, and their participation in household decision-making rises.”
As the article points out, USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) have committed over $800 million to programs that improve land governance systems. USAID and MCC’s land governance programs – which aim to strengthen land tenure and resource rights for many of world’s poorest and most vulnerable people – often focus on women. For many women, access to land and property is essential for food production and sustainable livelihoods. Securing rights to land and property for women generate economic and social benefits, including: higher incomes, better nutrition, and decreased vulnerability.
For more information on women and land, see here.