Gendered Property Rights and Land Access

Gendered property rights and land access encompass the legal, social and economic frameworks that determine who may own, use, inherit or control land and other immovable assets. Across diverse contexts, women frequently face systemic barriers—from discriminatory inheritance laws and patriarchal customs to opaque title systems and limited legal literacy. These constraints undermine women’s tenure security, curtail agricultural productivity, hinder investment in land improvements and perpetuate poverty cycles. Recent scholarship emphasises the interdependence of statutory regulations and customary norms, showing that formal reforms often falter when they neglect entrenched traditions or fail to engage with local dispute-resolution mechanisms. A nuanced understanding of intrahousehold dynamics reveals how bargaining power and differential access to credit, information and labour shape land allocations within families. Globally, enhancing women’s land rights is recognised as central to several Sustainable Development Goals, offering pathways to greater food security, poverty reduction and gender equality. Practical interventions range from legal aid clinics and gender-sensitive land administration reforms to community-led land mapping and financial instruments tailored to address women’s specific risk profiles and capacities.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent work in north-west Ethiopia examines how mismatches between customary and statutory law generate familial inheritance disputes that disproportionately affect marginalised individuals, particularly women. The study identifies legal-policy gaps—such as an absence of time limits for establishing child status, unrestricted cancellation of wills and weak integration of customary tenure—which exacerbate conflicts over farmland. It also highlights the role of socio-economic dynamics, including delays in court proceedings, corrupt practices and shifting family ties, in undermining women’s tenure security. The authors call for comprehensive reforms that harmonise legal frameworks and strengthen conflict-mediation mechanisms to secure equitable land access.

Gendered Property Rights and Land Access publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in gendered property rights and land access across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Tenure security: The certainty that land users’ rights to possess, use and transfer land will be upheld by legal and customary institutions.

Customary law: Traditional rules and practices governing land allocation and inheritance, often unwritten and administered by community authorities.

Statutory law: Codified legislation enacted by central or local governments, defining formal procedures for land registration, transfer and dispute resolution.

Intrahousehold bargaining power: The relative influence of household members over decisions regarding resource allocation, investments and income control.

References

1. Seed credit model in Uganda”: Participation and empowerment dynamics among smallholder women and men farmers. Global Food Security (2023).
2. Inheritance-induced familial disputes in north-west Ethiopia: the role of legal-policy gaps and aggravating socio-economic dynamics. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2023).
3. How Many and Which Women Own Land in India? Inter-gender and Intra-gender Gaps. The Journal of Development Studies (2021).
4. Differentiations in Women’s Land Tenure Experiences: Implications for Women’s Land Access and Tenure Security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Land (2019).