Report on Women’s Access to Land and Security of Tenure

 by Agneta Ericsson

 

As a part of the Swedish preparatory work at the prospect of HABITAT II in Istanbul, an international workshop on "Womenþs Access, Control and Tenure of Land Property and Settlement" was carried out in Gävle, Sweden, in October 1995.

The purpose of the workshop was to gather together a number of experts from different parts of the world in order to discuss and identify two fundamental questions "What are women's legal rights to land and settlement today?" and "What are the obstacles or mechanisms behind the fact that women have less control and management over land use than men?". The workshop should result in a list of recommendations to assure that women are granted the same rights to land as men are.

 During the seminar conclusions and recommendations were set-up. Many of these recommendations are relevant to Land Surveyors, e.g., in his/her performance in building-up cadastral systems. The following is summarised relevant background information and conclusions from the Gävle Seminar, which may be useful in further discussions among Commission 7, on how to improve Women’s Access to Land and Security of Tenure.

 Background

 An increasing understanding of human rights has during recent years focused more and more on women rights and gender questions. Legislation makes little or no difference between men and women, but real life does. 

A quarter of the households at the international level are run by women. This figure varies from country to country but may in some countries come close to 50 % (Women and land development, Abidjan-95). Accordingly, households are never homogenous entities and neither are families. Women and men have different functions within the family as well as outside of it. This implies that men recieve different information, possibilities and status than women. In addition, attitudes and traditions guide female behaviour, not to get involved in land issues. Taken together, these factors give rise to different degrees of actual control of land.

 Women's dilemmas in the third world are connected with poor economy, informal settlements, as well as working around the clock. These leave no time for participation in land management matters, especially if it implies a long trip to a distant authority. Lack of information and illiteracy are other factors. The consequences are social barriers, isolation and no participation in decision-making processes.

 Some opinions regarding relations between women and land tenure

Informal settlements

"Women-headed households represent a significant proportion of women living in informal settlements. Most often women are marginalised, rejected by traditional structures and with no socio-economic status, which permit them to integrate in the formal and legal structures of society. This category of people have the tendency to be very mobile, which neither favours regularization nor consolidation of the living environment. Women living in informal settlements do not have a well defined social status. They find themselves locked in a vicious circle: they live in informal settlements because they are marginalised; they are further marginalised because they live in informal settlements". (Abidjan Interregional Seminar,-95)

A summary of conclusions and recommendation’s from the Gävle Seminar, that may be relevant to Land Surveyors working with cadastral reform programs

To create an enabling environment to ensure that women and men have equal access to land and property rights;

To review, modify and clarify existing legislation;

To implement and enforce law;

To promote communication, education and monitoring