Improving Access to Land for Women in the Arab World: Policy Options and Tools for Triggering Social and Economic Development

Sep 11, 2019 | Everlyne Nairesia, Sina Schlimmer and Ombretta Tempra
View Original

It is estimated that in developing countries, women are responsible for the production of 60 to 80 percent of food and yet, they rarely own the agricultural land. They work with low tenure security, little decision-making power and limited control over land use. Socially constructed gender roles, unequal access to land administration, as well as discriminatory practices further limit women’s access to and control over land. Land-related challenges of women in the Arab world are not substantially different from those encountered by women more generally. However, certain common land-related patterns reflecting customary and religious practices emerge in the Arab world as elements that shape the way women can access to, use of and control over land.