Legal establishments and gendered access to land in patriarchal societies of north-western Ghana ppt
Paul Boniface Akaabre, Kizito Doghle, Rudith S. King
Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
Denial of women in land entitlements especially in patriarchal societies has been a major development concern in Ghana, resulting in promulgation of legal establishments that seek to enhance equality in access. The paper examines the underlying factors for the persistent gender disparity in land access and usage despite the existence of laws to bridge the gap. Interviews with land custodians and households revealed the desire to preserve tradition and cultural heritage as the main driver for non-inclusion of women in land access rights. The interpretations of these laws also tend to exclude women access to land. Besides, limited knowledge about the existence of legal establishments that seek to promote and/or ensure gender equality accounts for the persisting exclusion of women in land entitlements. Consequently, legal establishments need not only strict enforcement but also with effective sensitization programs if the persisting inequality gap in patriarchal societies is to be bridged.
Event: Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty 2019
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