State of Inheritance Rights: Women in a Rural District in Pakistan

Abstract

ABSTRACTInheritance is an extremely significant factor in wealth distribution and gender relations. This article provides an area-specific insight on inheritance distribution with respect to women. A total of 144 daughters were interviewed in a feudal society in Pakistan to assess their inheritance. A descriptive analysis was employed to investigate the inheritance shares they received in provision of agricultural land and its annual income for the women that inherited it. The data demonstrated that lack of education, patriarchal practices, and the occurrences of a swap marriage system (where forced exchange marriages are promoted to defer inheritance) limit the ability of these women to get their share of their entitled inheritance. To change this system at a grassroots level, the results indicate the need for a clear understanding of the religious lessons, laws, and social repercussions that lead to these daughters being deprived of their inheritance. Overall, future research supports culturally sensitive strategies that can counterbalance these adverse practices for discrimination in inheritance.