Women and Land Governance in Selected African Countries: A Review

Abstract

In most African countries, land and land rights are governed by sociocultural norms, which have a significant impact on gender relations. Women are seldom involved in land decision-making from their homes and communities to land administration institutions and ministries. Gender concerns have featured prominently on the development platform, and the land management and policy responses of many countries have focused on gender inequities. Despite advances in gender equality provisions in land policy, the experiences of the countries reported in this article reveal that women have limited to no participation in land governance because of patriarchal sociocultural constructs. Progressive local and national policies do not assure women’s participation in land governance. The need to modify attitudes and practices is more closely tied to improving women’s participation in land governance than any other legal issue. Lobbying and awareness initiatives are therefore required to change the mindsets and customary behaviours of the stakeholders.