Gender, Family and Property Rights

Abstract

The structures and practices of families are crucial in determining gender-differentiated patterns of access to land and other forms of property/productive resources. However, major redistributional or reform programmes such as that of land have failed to take this into account. This paper addresses, conceptually, women's and men's claims to land/property in terms of via more recent land reforms experience to discuss the importance to property reform of a gendered understanding of the family. Besides, it attempts to probe the direction of change in property-related practices, including inheritance, dowry and residence, in contemporary Kerala to understand the implications of the emerging practices for women's property rights.