Women empowerment in inherited land rights: end of violence in rural areas

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the dynamics behind the violence against the share of women in their inherited land. This study explores the subject matter from the perspective of actual victims and law experts in the domain. Design/methodology/approach Informed by the interpretivist paradigm, the authors studied the subject matter through qualitative inquiry. Through semistructured interviews, data were collected from 16 women who have been deprived of their share in inherited land and 11 law experts who have been dealing with property-related court cases. Findings Thematic analyses through NVivo-11 evinced five themes related to the possible causes of women depriving of their property rights. From the victims’ perspective, the major causes of violence against women’s share in their inherited property rights are fear of income disaggregation, male dominance, forceful gifting, relational bond and fear of physical violence. Law experts’ views on the subject matter were somehow in convergence with the views of the actual victims. They reported a lack of social support, court delays and lack of knowledge about the law as the major causes of violence against women’s inherited property rights. Originality/value A reasonable volume of research is available on the subject of women’s empowerment. However, little attention is paid to investigating the causes of violence against women sharing in their inherited property rights – and suggesting some suitable ways to resolve the problem. Against this backdrop, this study is intended to explore the dynamics behind the violence against the share of women in their inherited land from the perspective of actual victims and law experts in the domain.