HFHI Supports Access to Property Rights for Women

Throughout the developing world, women tend to work in the lowest paid sectors, have less stable incomes, work longer hours, have less access to training and education, and have fewer economic opportunities including the ability or right to own property. In fact, women own less than 15 percent of land worldwide.

At the same time, women are increasingly becoming part of the labor force in almost all regions of the world. In fact, women make up over 40 percent of the labor force in East and South-east Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean and in some places women produce 60-80 percent of the food supply. Yet often they cannot own the land they farm on or the land where they live.

Poor men and women find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to obtain titles to their land in many developing countries. For example, in the Philippines, to legally purchase state- or privately-owned urban land could take 168 steps involving 53 public and private entities; a process that could stretch over thirteen to 25 years. (De Soto 2000) while this is true for both men and women, many times women face even greater difficulties in gaining legal ownership of land.

Land ownership leads to an increase in income and wealth accumulation, increase investment options, and increase access to credit. When women have access to credit and the ability to increase their income, studies show that they are likely to put their earnings back into the health and education of their families. As a result, investing in women’s ability has a multiplier effect. In fact, research has shown that increased opportunity for a woman means her daughters are more likely to go to school, her babies are more likely to survive infancy, and her family is more likely to eat nutritious meals. In addition, the woman is less vulnerable to trafficking and HIV/AIDS and has more options in the face of violence, abuse, or death of spouse.