All Players to the Table: Getting Total Buy-In to an Economic Approach to Women's Land Rights Reform

This article advances the argument that, in the fight for gender equality, buy-in is needed from both men and women in order to achieve substantial change more quickly. The author focuses specifically on women’s land rights as an area of fundamental human rights where great disparity is seen in countries around the world. The article discusses current equalization efforts being taken and identifies two key problems that have arisen: implementation in areas of developing countries where legal venues are not available to women, and conflicting solutions in the most effective way to disperse aid to developing countries. The author also looks at the important economic contributions that women make to their families, and how the customary laws of countries conflict with their constitutional laws regarding equality rights. Specifically, the author discusses examples of conflict between constitutional and customary laws in India and Zimbabwe and how this conflict has made the fight for gender equity more challenging. Finally, the author calls for a multi-functional approach to be taken, that has all parties – both men and women – invested in achieving gender equity and advancing economic development.