Rural Sociology - Asia, Real Property & Land Law - Land Tenure, Women's Rights, Social Policy by Region, Economics & Finance, Women - Asia, Women's Studies - General & Miscellaneous

A Field of One's Own: Gender and Land Rights in South Asia

Name: A Field of One's Own: Gender and Land Rights in South Asia
Author: Bina Agarwal
ISBN: 9780521429269

by Bina Agarwal

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Overview

In this comprehensive analysis of gender and property throughout South Asia, Bina Agarwal argues that the most important economic factor affecting women is the gender gap in command over property. In rural South Asia, few women own land and even fewer control it. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including field research, the author addresses the reason for this imbalance, and asks how the barriers to ownership can be overcome. The book offers original insights into the current theoretical and policy debates on land reform and women's status.

Synopsis

This is the first major study of gender and property in South Asia. In a pioneering and comprehensive analysis Bina Agarwal argues that the single most important economic factor affecting women's situation is the gender gap in command over property. In rural South Asia, the most significant form of property is arable land, a critical determinant of economic well-being, social status, and empowerment. But few women own land; fewer control it. Drawing on a vast range of interdisciplinary sources and her own field research, and tracing regional variations across five countries, the author investigates the complex barriers to women's land ownership and control, and how they might be overcome. The book makes significant and original contributions to theory and policy concerning land reforms, 'bargaining' and gender relations, women's status, and the nature of resistance.