Despite advances in inheritance laws that have strengthened daughters’ rights, women are significantly more likely to inherit land as widows. This study sheds light on low female land ownership rates in India and the factors – individual, household, and regional – that impinge on a woman’s likelihood of owning land. Using unique longitudinal data across 9 states, the authors find that women constitute barely 14% of landowners and own just 11% of agricultural land in rural landowning households, with most acquiring land through their marital families rather than their paternal families.
Blog » How Many and Which Women Own Land in India? Inter-gender and Intra-gender Gaps (2021)
How Many and Which Women Own Land in India? Inter-gender and Intra-gender Gaps (2021)
Despite advances in inheritance laws that have strengthened daughters’ rights, women are significantly more likely to inherit land as widows. This study sheds light on low female land ownership rates in India and the factors – individual, household, and regional – that impinge on a woman’s likelihood of owning land. Using unique longitudinal data across 9 states, the authors find that women constitute barely 14% of landowners and own just 11% of agricultural land in rural landowning households, with most acquiring land through their marital families rather than their paternal families.