Q: Analyze the importance of property rights of women.
 Property Rights:
Property rights define the theoretical and legal ownership of resources and
how they can be used. These resources can be either tangible or intangible
and can be owned by individuals, businesses, and governments. They are
claims to property that are legally and socially recognized and enforceable
by external legitimized authority. These rights can be in the form of actual
ownership or usufruct, the rights of use.
 Women’s Property Rights:
“Women's property rights are property and inheritance rights enjoyed by
women as a category within a society.”
 Importance of Women’s Property Rights:
 Development of country:
Property rights are the key to economic development. Unless women are
granted property rights, a country can’t develop. Women property rights
promote gender equality, which eventually leads to development. When
women are given access to assets especially those they are already the
primary caretakers of, communities would thrive.
 Economic Security:
Women’s property rights are important, as these are fundamental to
women’s economic security, social and legal status, and sometimes their
survival. Land and property ownership empowers women and provides
income and security.
 Benefiting their family:
Women having access to property rights would increase their ability to start
and grow their own businesses. This will help them in having the collateral
they need to secure credit. It will then allow them to invest in their families
and in the changing outcomes for their children.
 Domestic Security:
Without property rights, women have limited say in household decisionmaking, and no recourse to the assets during crises. It can either be divorce
or death of a husband or any other type of a difficult situation. The lack of
property rights also results in domestic violence so if a women has property
and assets, it grants her more security. Most importantly, this will ensure that
she can live with agency and dignity and support her children herself too.
 Women Empowerment:
Like other human rights issues, women property rights are linked to
discriminatory inheritance practices, agriculture, gendered control over
economic resources, right to work and domestic violence or violence against
women. Granting women equal property rights means decreased threat of
discrimination, domestic violence and other human rights violations. It also
has positive impact on political participation and women empowerment.
 Independence:
Depriving women of their property rights will make women dependent on
men. They remain poor and are not treated equal to men. They have to live
in abject living conditions and are always at the risk of violence both in their
parent’s home and in-laws. The main consequence of these abuses is that the
country remains underdeveloped. Granting them their rights will make them
more independent and powerful.
 Visibility:
Strong property rights give women the much-needed economy whether they
are living with their parents or husband. If they lack access to property
rights, they remain dependent and their household work and other activities
remain invisible and unaccounted for.
 Bargaining power:
Property rights confer many benefits on women and their families including
increased bargaining power, (Social Protection and Economic Autonomy).
Women property rights increase the bargaining power of women both in and
outside the household and views are heard.