Taking action: achieving gender equality and empowering women

Chapter 6
Guarantee women’s property
and inheritance rights
It is now widely recognized that ownership and control over assets such as land
and housing provide economic security, incentives for taking economic risks
that lead to growth, and important economic returns including income. Yet,
women in many countries are far less likely than men to enjoy ownership or
control of these important assets. Ensuring female property and inheritance
rights would help to empower women and rectify a fundamental injustice.
Although lack of data on the gender asset gap makes it difficult to determine
the precise magnitude of the problem, the available information suggests that
the problem is serious in most countries of the world. The task force calls on
UN member countries to collect systematic data on women’s share of land
and housing. Meeting Goal 3 will also require institutional arrangements that
enhance the extent and security of women’s rights to land, houses, and other
productive assets.
Why guaranteeing women’s property rights is a strategic priority
Throughout the developing world women control land and other productive
assets far less frequently than men do. 1 This inequality results from a variety
of factors, including unequal inheritance practices, the practice of registering
land and houses in the name of the head of household (usually defined as a
man), unequal access to land markets due to custom, tradition, and unequal
economic assets, and gender-biased land reforms. Inequality in property rights
contributes to women’s generally low status and vulnerability to poverty compared
with men. Women’s lack of property has been increasingly linked to
development-related problems across the globe, including poverty, HIV/AIDS,
urbanization, migration, and violence.
An important distinction is between access to productive assets and ownership
of those assets. While women’s access to land and property may derive