By Asha Misra
WCCN Intern and UW-Madison student

It is becoming widely accepted in the international community that women’s ownership and control of immoveable property (land or a house) is a significant factor contributing to women’s overall empowerment and welfare. In her groundbreaking work, A Field of One’s Own: Women and Land Rights in South Asia, Indian feminist economist Bina Agarwal asserts, “The single most important economic factor effecting women’s situation is the gender gap in the command of property.” Increasingly, scholars and international organizations are also recognizing that women’s land access has a direct correlation to women’s vulnerability to domestic violence. In countries worldwide, physical violence between husbands and wives is estimated between 10 and 50 percent.1 Land access and control increase a woman’s economic options and her sense of empowerment. These effects can contribute to decreasing a woman’s experience of violence by enhancing her economic security and reducing her tolerance of aggression.

However, despite the prominence that women’s property ownership has achieved in the international development sphere, the data relating to the gender asset gap is sparse. Moreover, land access and its correlation to domestic violence have yet to be thoroughly explored in Latin America. In their recent study, Deere and León argue that the gender gap in control of property in Latin America is substantial and but remains underestimated due to insufficient data collection and methodology.2 Nevertheless, they stress the importance of gender equality in each country’s policy and strategy for development. Just as cultural norms and societal practices are considered in policy-making and intervention, the role and status of women must also be taken into account in a country’s social and economic development goals.

In collaboration with the Women’s Center of Xochilt-Acalt in Malpaisillo, Nicaragua, and Shelly Grabe, visiting scholar at the University of Wisconsin, WCCN is working towards an increased understanding of women’s property ownership and its effect on their experiences of violence. Through various data collection methods such as quantitative and qualitative surveys, personal interviews and focus group discussions, WCCN and its partners have collected data concerning women’s land ownership and the incidence of violence throughout their lives. One of the objectives of the study is to understand what specific factors of land access contribute to increasing women’s welfare and empowerment. Currently, WCCN is reviewing the gathered data and hopes to make its findings available in the coming months to women’s organizations and other groups involved in the women’s movement.

Notes

1 Population Reports (1999). Ending violence against women. Issues in World Health, 27(4), 1-43.

2 Deere, Carmen Diana and Magdalena León, 2003. “The Gender Asset Gap: Land in Latin America.” World Development, 31(6), 925-947