Women's access to land and household bargaining power

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Method No in patrilineal Theatre for Development Peer to Peer Exchange Visit Video Documentation Harvard Analytical Framework Participant Photography Action with Traditional Leaders Feeding back research findings/ Awareness Campaigns Women’s Land Rights 4 Theatre for Development events. 1 exchange visit was done for community members from patrilineal society to matrilineal society 10 women interviewed Not used 2 cameras used 2 training sessions conducted with respondents No in matrilineal Usefulness Limitations 6 Theatre for Development sessions No exchange visit was done due to time limitations but it also became redundant since they were still able to meet with community members from patrilineal and were able to compare about the two systems During these events, community based researchers that WOLREC identified, were performing plays addressing topical issues emanating from the research. In this case, plays focused on particular challenges that women face such as land dispossession. They were therefore moments for feeding back research findings to the community. This method was helpful in that it provided an opportunity to community members to discuss their lived realities and find solutions to the challenges regarding land. Enhanced the comparative aspect of the cultural dynamics of the two systems 10 women interviewed Women’s voices, traditional leaders, extension workers, songs, poetry and dramas were captured all about women’s access and control over land Captured verbatim voices It will be used for advocacy Access and Control Profile 4 cameras 4 training sessions for 4 respondents 1 workshop 1 roundtable discussions session 2 open awarenesscampaigns done 2 awareness campaigns done Relevant in understanding women’s household bargaining power Gave an opportunity to women respondents who were given the cameras to capture important aspects of their lives. Most women captured their fields and crops and also gave them an opportunity to interrogate further the concepts of access, ownership and control over land Brought together the recognised traditional think-tanks and custodians of culture They conceded that there is a problem in patrilineal society where women do not own or control land in both their native and marital homes They were a stepping stone for advocacy Some chiefs starting discrediting land dispossession of widows in public meetings after this workshop ie, during funeral gatherings or any other village gathering The whole village/area knew about the research and were able to provide their input People were able to comment on the findings Formed the basis for advocacy If not handled properly the plays can just end up being for entertainment and not education. So need to ensure that the plays are both entertaining and educative that community members can get the message and change for the better Needed more resources to engage more community members Need more resources Some women were not willing to face the camera as they did not want their identify to be revealed It consumes a lot of time Some participants did not know how to use the disposable cameras despite the civic education given People just interested in getting pictures of themselves even if they mean nothing At first chiefs were not open Fear of the higher authority Most chiefs lacked knowledge on statutory laws in land issues as they just depend on customary laws which has been used since time immemorial It created a lot of demand which the project could not handle as some village leaders present during the campaigns demanded that the research be extended to their villages
2. Country context Malawi is a landlocked country in Southern Africa with an agricultural economy accounts for over 40% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs about 85% of the labour force (SADC Gender Protocol Barometer Baseline Survey: 2009). In an economy that is so predominantly agriculturally based, land is a primary and essential asset for most families. According to 2008 population and household census, Ma- lawi has a total population of 13,066,320, of which 6,365,771 (49%) are men and 6,700,549 (51%) are women 1 . Of this population, approximately 85% live in the rural areas and are in- volved in subsistence farming. Malawi is a Least Developed Country (LDC), with 54.2% of its population classified as poor, the majority of whom are women (SADC Gender Protocol Barometer Baseline Survey: 2009) Land is the primary resource in household livelihoods and food security in rural Malawi where communal/customary tenure systems predominate. Livelihood strategies, while largely agricultural and land based, are mixed in that the use of the land resource is, in itself, varied, and include the production of food for household consumption, grazing for livestock and the production of cash crops. In addition, land is also used for harvesting other natural resources such as grass which is used for thatching roofs, reeds for building, timber for coal as well as, fishing. In spite of its centrality to the livelihoods of rural Malawians, not all Malawians enjoy secure access to adequate land for their livelihoods, and insecure access tends to have a female face (Mbaya 2002). Malawi has been profoundly modernized since it embraced democracy in 1994, yet it remains a very traditional society; where establishing real gender equality will take time. Existing inequalities between men and women are largely due to customary laws and traditions despite the Constitution of Malawi, which was adopted in 1994, upholding the principle of equal rights for men and women and prohibiting discrimination based on gender or marital status. (Section 24, 1 The 2008 Population and Housing Census. National Statistical Office Constitution of Malawi). After the Constitution was adopted, the government established a Law Commission to assess whether existing legislation was compatible with the aims of the Constitution. The Commission has since reviewed several laws that discriminate against women. Rights to land imply security that is tied to an enforceable claim, while access to land is more informal and less enforceable. Women who become single heads of households are particularly vulnerable as their access to land is often through their husbands or fathers. This situation makes them prone to lose such access after widowhood, divorce, desertion or male migration (UN HABITAT 2005). There is thus a wide discrepancy between the declarations in the Constitution and the actual relationships between men and women, where customary law acts as a norm in the socialization process. Women’s access to land and household bargaining power: a comparative action research project in patrilineal and matrilineal societies in Malawi | page 5
Page 3 and 4: Women’s access to land and househ
Page 5 and 6: Table of contents Acknowledgements
Page 7 and 8: Introduction WOLREC undertook this
Page 9: 1. Research methodology Straus and
Page 13 and 14: Patrilineal Society: MZIMBA distric
Page 15 and 16: 4. Literature review Many anthropol
Page 17 and 18: 5. Legal framework The current land
Page 19 and 20: As Malawi is reviewing its laws, th
Page 21 and 22: entail too much dependence on offic
Page 23 and 24: time, land in the patrilineal socie
Page 25 and 26: 7. Women and land Land ownership in
Page 27 and 28: Control over land Control over land
Page 29 and 30: Figure 5: Resource control graph Th
Page 31 and 32: of that failing, then her brothers
Page 33 and 34: controlling household resources, la
Page 35 and 36: References Agarwal B. 1994b. A Fiel

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