Abstract

Legal and customary arrangements and practices govern women's rights to resources, such as land and housing. This book highlights women's unequal position in formal and customary laws and practices and the way in which gender relations affect men’s and women's access to property through inheritance. The introduction examines how gender relations define the ownership and control of property and the attention that the issue of gender equality has received in the development agenda. Five reviews from Latin America, Ivory Coast, South Africa, the Middle East and India focus on the disjuncture between law and practice in terms of women's property and land rights, inheritance, access to resources, marriage and employment. The contributors also reflect on the importance of women’s participation in decision-making forums and the need for women's political organisation and mobilisation in order to redress gender imbalances in land and inheritance rights. The book ends with a large resources section featuring an annotated bibliography, a list of relevant organisations and Web resources.