Customary Land Tenure in Liberia - Land Tenure and Property ...

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tasks assigned to women and vice-versa. For example, in Tengia Clan, both men and women reported that they
take part in harvesting rice, though this was commonly reported to be the women‟s responsibility. Additionally,
women told us that they also assist in burning the fields, though this was almost universally reported to be the
men‟s responsibility. Further, in Saykleken Clan, men were traditionally responsible for burning, felling, and
brushing. However, female clan members asserted that “women do the same things like men.”
In some clans, including Saykleken, Dobli, and Tengia,
women claimed to work harder than the men. In addition
to farming activities, women are responsible for almost
all household chores, though they are often assisted by
their children. For example, it was also reported that
“Women have been cheated from the beginning.”
– Traditional leader in Dobli Clan
children in Saykleken and Ylan Clans help their mothers with chasing away birds and with weeding. A male
traditional leader in Dobli Clan confirmed that women carry out most household and farming activities and
commented on the injustice by saying, “women have been cheated from the beginning.”
Figure 3.5 provides a rough breakdown of which tasks are generally considered to be the responsibility of
women and which tasks are considered to be the responsibility of men. As there was no clear indication among
the studied clans of whether men or women more frequently identify and claim land for farming, it falls under
both categories.
Figure 3.5: Common roles of women and men
Women
Identifying and claiming land for farming
Scratching (planting) rice
Planting gardens
Weeding
Chasing birds
Harvesting rice and vegetables
Selling produce
Caring for livestock
Creek fishing
Washing gold (in clans with mineral resources)
Burning charcoal
Collecting water
Performing household chores
Men
Identifying and claiming land for farming
Clearing brush
Felling trees
Burning
Building fences
Building barns
Cutting palm
Tapping palm wine
Hunting and trapping
River and ocean fishing
Digging gold and diamonds (in clans with
mineral resources)
Burning charcoal
Pit sawing
In general, men reported bearing primary responsibility for the cultivation of life trees. In some clans we learned
that women help the men in life trees production by planting seedlings, weeding tree plantations, and harvesting.
There are, of course, exceptions. In Ylan Clan, women reported planting rubber trees, primarily on family land.
While Ding Clan members told us that tapping rubber was a male task, a few clan members reported seeing
women tapping rubber. This revelation was met with extreme surprise by the other participants. Tengia Clan
members reported that women pack and dry cocoa and palm nuts, while men are responsible for picking cocoa
and coffee. On the other end of the spectrum, in Saykleken, men reportedly produce all of the rubber and most
of the cocoa. While women in this clan assist with cocoa cultivation, they are not allowed to plant or inherit the
trees. In an extreme example, Nitrian Community members reported that only men grow life trees.
Often men are also the ones to sell and control the proceeds from life tree products, though there are important
exceptions. In Ding Clan, men reported that women also control the proceeds gained from selling rubber (as
well as all other sold products) because they are more financially prudent. Yet, in Saykleken Clan, men keep all
the proceeds from the sale of life trees products. Selling palm oil tends to be more of a shared task.
CUSTOMARY LAND TENURE IN LIBERIA