It’s 2017 and formal ownership of land for women still seems to be a distant dream, with women owning less than 20 percent of land in the world. This means that their claim on land continues to rest on their identity as a man’s daughter or wife. In developing countries, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, women own less than 10 percent of the land. The low number is even more appalling when you keep in mind that women are 50 percent of the world’s population. According to a study by Landesa, even though equal inheritance rights have been granted in India, only 13 percent of women really expect to inherit land from their parents. Family members and government officials alike, still do not recognise a woman’s right to land, the study found through interviews. It’s apparent that powerful cultural and societal forces still overpower the law in cases of inheritance and land ownership for women.

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