Empowering Women

Abstract

No AccessAfrica Development Forum13 Oct 2013Empowering WomenLegal Rights and Economic Opportunities in AfricaAuthors/Editors: Mary Hallward-Driemeier, Tazeen HasanMary Hallward-Driemeier, Tazeen Hasanhttps://doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-9533-2View ChaptersAboutPDF (5.5 MB)Other FormatsePUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Abstract:The importance of property rights in providing the incentive to invest, work hard, and innovate has been recognized for centuries. Yet, many women in Africa do not have the same property rights or formal legal capacity enjoyed by men. Empowering Women: Legal Rights and Economic Opportunities in Africa, documents the extent to which the legal capacity and property rights vary for women and men, and analyzes the impact this has on women's economic opportunities. The book introduces the Women's Legal Economic Empowerment Database Africa (Women LEED Africa). This database covers all 47 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, providing indicators and links to constitutions, ratified international conventions, and domestic statutes where there are gender gaps in legal capacity and property rights. It shows how and where, despite universal constitutional recognition of non-discrimination, many countries have exceptions in areas of marriage, ownership, and control over property and inheritance. With less secure property rights, women in these countries do not have the same ability or incentive to accumulate and control assets and thus to access finance or to grow their businesses. After laying out the various gender gaps in legal capacity and property rights, the book addresses the additional challenges stemming from legal systems with a multiplicity of sources of law. Overlapping legal systems themselves add uncertainty to defining women's economic rights. The authors use case law to trace out the implications for women's rights and to provide examples of effective reforms. The book recognizes that beyond de jure differences, women may face greater practical constraints in having their rights protected. This book spells out specific steps that can be taken to address gender gaps both in formal property rights and in practical constraints in accessing justice. Previous bookNext book FiguresreferencesRecommendeddetailsCited byCross-sectional study on knowledge, attitude and prevalence of domestic violence among women in Kaduna, north-western NigeriaBMJ Open, Vol.12, No.38 March 2022Environmental degradation and female economic inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa: Effort towards Sustainable Development Goal 5Development Southern Africa, Vol.38, No.57 January 2021Impact of family law reform on adolescent reproductive health in Ethiopia: A quasi-experimental studyWorld Development, Vol.144Drawing the Legal Family Tree: An Empirical Comparative Study of 170 Dimensions of Property Law in 129 JurisdictionsJournal of Legal Analysis, Vol.13, No.129 April 2021Gender Equality Policies and African Women: A Comparative Critique29 October 2021Digital Transformation in Communities of AfricaInternational Journal of Digital Strategy, Governance, and Business Transformation, Vol.11, No.1Access to essential medicines to guarantee women's rights to health: The pharmaceutical patents connectionThe Journal of World Intellectual Property, Vol.23, No.3-429 June 2020Gender-Discriminatory Laws and Women's Economic AgencySocial Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Vol.26, No.229 January 2019Negotiating the Power of NGOs, Vol.541 April 2019Gender Equality Policies and African Women22 February 2019Domestic Violence in India: An AnalysisSSRN Electronic JournalL'inclusion financière par le mobile-banking au Sénégal : l'analyse des facteurs socio-économiques d'adoptionMondes en développement, Vol.n° 185, No.1Back Matter29 December 2016Where Are Jobs Created?25 October 2016The Financialization of Everyday Life: Mobile Money and (In)Formal Activity in a Developing ContextSSRN Electronic JournalFinancial Inclusion for Firms14 April 2014Back Matter14 April 2014Financial Inclusion: Importance, Key Facts, and Drivers14 April 2014Politics of Women's Rights in Family Law: Religion, the State, and the Barriers to ReformSSRN Electronic Journal View Published: October 2012ISBN: 978-0-8213-9533-2e-ISBN: 978-0-8213-9534-9 Copyright & Permissions Related RegionsAfricaRelated TopicsGenderLaw and DevelopmentPrivate Sector Development KeywordsLEGAL PLURALISMOPPORTUNITIESLEGAL REFORMACCESS TO JUSTICEEMPOWERMENTENTREPRENEURSHIPRIGHTSPROPERTY RIGHTSLAW PDF downloadLoading ...

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