This is the first major study of gender and property in South Asia. In a pioneering and comprehensive analysis Bina Agarwal argues that the single most important economic factor affecting women's situation is the gender gap in command over property. In rural South Asia, the most significant form of property is arable land, a critical determinant of economic well-being, social status, and empowerment. But few women own land; fewer control it. Drawing on a vast range of interdisciplinary sources and her own field research, and tracing regional variations across five countries, the author investigates the complex barriers to women's land ownership and control, and how they might be overcome. The book makes significant and original contributions to theory and policy concerning land reforms, 'bargaining' and gender relations, women's status, and the nature of resistance.

An analysis of gender and property throughout South Asia which argues that the most important economic factor affecting women is the gender gap in command over property.
Reviews
'This book makes a major contribution in the field of land rights thereby opening up once again the debate on land reforms in a unique and distinct manner. If the book scores because of the novelty of its arguments, the interdisciplinary focus and its innovative perspective, it is because is has incorporated over twenty years of research and scholarship in gender studies.' The Hindu



Book Information
ISBN 9780521429269
Author Bina Agarwal
Format Paperback
Page Count 596
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 831g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 152mm * 35mm