Women's Human Rights Resources Database

This paper explores the relationship between women’s property ownership and the level of input into household decision making that women have, based on data collected in India, Mali, Malawi, and Tanzania. It suggests that the amount of input women have in making household decisions is an indicator of their empowerment. The author finds that in all of the countries studied, property ownership is positively correlated with input in household decision-making, although the pattern was weakest in India. The paper also examines the difference between individual and joint property ownership and highlights the fact that these may have different impact on women’s empowerment. 

This comprehensive report on the implementation of property and housing rights for women in East Africa also contains general information on women's property rights. Chapter 1 begins by discussing the various components of international law regarding property and housing rights and the extent to which these are binding upon states. The chapter then proceeds to review the interpretation of the right to property and housing with regards to women. The remainder of the report focuses specifically on the status of women's property and housing rights in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

This resolution by the UN Sub-Commission begins by outlining the international legal foundation establishing the right to adequate housing. The resolution notes with concern the discrimination which women continue to face, particularly in laws regulating the ownership and use of property. The resolution urges governments to comply with international legal obligations to protect women's property and housing rights and identifies means through which the UN system could better identify and address this type of discrimination.

This paper focuses on the links between women's property rights and HIV/AIDS. It begins with a discussion of the broad social impacts of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and describes the links between property rights and HIV/AIDS. The author discusses how women may be able to better mitigate the effects of the virus if their property rights were protected. The second section examines the specific barriers preventing women from securing their property rights. The report highlights certain examples of best practices in women accessing their property rights and addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The conclusion includes a discussion of the role of litigation and legal services in assisting women. [Descriptors: Reproductive Rights - HIV/AIDS, International - Africa]

The result of a 2012 expert meeting convened by UN Women and OHCHR, this comprehensive handbook identifies critical issues and recommends action to secure women's rights to land and productive resources. Urging that land should not be viewed simply as a commodity but as a life-giving resource, the report outlines how to ensure approaches to productive resources are pro-poor, gender-inclusive and responsive to human rights. The authors systematically approach each topic and provide case studies and examples of well-tailored legislation to emphasize how focusing on human rights ensures equitable and fair treatment. Major themes include security of tenure and forced eviction, the role of legal systems and access to justice, marital and familial factors, considerations for land laws, policies and programming, successful institutional implementation, the importance of training and raising awareness and the unique challenges facing various groups of affected women.

This report analyzes women's experiences across regions in accessing and controlling land, housing and property in the context of armed conflict and reconstruction. It begins by outlining the establishment of women's rights and the barriers to achieving these rights. The report's focus on situations of armed conflict icludes a summary of the central barriers women in this context face in claiming and enforcing their rights to land, housing and property. The second part of the report reviews ways for women to access these rights, including through community activism and legal reform. The report includes discussions of custom and tradition, the international legal framework, the impact of conflict on housing rights, women's roles, and international campaigns. Illustrative studies of Guatemala, Liberia and Eritrea are included.

General Comment 7 by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides clarification on the right to adequate housing. Within the Comment, the Committee defines the term "forced evictions" and describes the extent of forced evictions globally. The Committee notes that the practice of forced evictions is linked to other human rights violations, such as the right to life, security of the person, non-interference with privacy, family and home and the right to the peaceful enjoyment of possessions. The comment specifically notes the vulnerability of women to forced evictions and links this to the persistent statutory discrimination of women's ownership of property.

This report to the United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights by the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing considers women's right to housing within the broader context of other human rights. The report notes that although national and international laws establish the right to housing for women, a significant gap exists between the legal rights and the realization of these rights for women. Connections between the right to housing and violence against women are also reviewed. The recommendations call for the implementation of innovative government policies to ensure the full realization of the right to housing.