New Global Initiative: Transforming Gender Norms in Land and Resource Rights

Aug 9, 2021 | Arwen Bailey
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When Rosario’s husband died, her life was turned upside down. Not only did she lose her life and business partner and the father of her children, she soon found that she had also lost her rights to the land she had been cultivating with her family.

Stories like Rosario’s are commonplace and reflect women’s vulnerability given that in many contexts, women access land through male relatives — e.g. spouse, father, uncle — rather than in their own right, and lack control and secure rights to land. Furthermore, in cases where land use is collective, for instance pastoralist communities or land associations, recognition of women’s rights is subject to the set of norms that define how they can engage in land use decisions at the local level.

When it comes to land and resources, access and control are vital components of women’s empowerment. Land is a critical physical asset but also has a social role, defining social status and political power and structuring relationships both within and outside the household.