A Field of One's Own Gender and Land Rights in South Asia [Paperback]

An analysis of gender and property throughout South Asia which argues that the most important economic factor affecting women is the gender gap in command over property.Few women own land and even fewer control it in rural South Asia. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including field research, this text addresses the reason for this imbalance, and inquires as to how the barriers to ownership can be overcome.Few women own land and even fewer control it in rural South Asia. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including field research, this text addresses the reason for this imbalance, and inquires as to how the barriers to ownership can be overcome.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.Preface; l. Land rights for women: making the case; 2. Conceptualizing gender relations; 3. Customary rights and associated practices; 4. Erosion and disinheritance: traditionally matrilineal and bilateral communities today; 5. Contemporary law: contestation and content; 6. Whose share? Who claims? The gap between law and practice; 7. Whose land? Who commands? The gap between ownership and control; 8. Tracing cross-regional diversities; 9. Struggles over resources, struggles over meanings; l0. The long march ahead. This is a book of great importance and much originality, dealing with the problem of gender inequality in economic and social contexts. Dr. Agarwal has focused on the crucial role of inequality in property rights, particulary in land ownership. Her thorough exploration oflã'