Secure access to housing, land, and property (HLP) is essential for development. Land rights are fundamental to supporting livelihoods, food security, and asset building, while women’s HLP rights can generate not only economic benefits (land value, improved agricultural productivity, access to credit etc.), but social benefits, such as improved bargaining power within the household and community. According to national statistics, women in Senegal account for 70 percent of the rural working population. Furthermore, women are significant con tributors to agricultural production, specifically subsistence crops. Yet only 6 percent of them own farmland and just 2.5 percent own housing. Despite a generally favorable legal framework and the fact that Senegalese women are significant users of land, access to land and control over it remains a major challenge for Senegalese women. Civil society organizations (CSOs) working in the field have consistently noted that women do not have equal access to or control over land compared to men. In practice, social and religious norms continue to play an important role in gender relations, particularly where land is concerned: most Senegalese women gain access to land or housing through a male relative, with the security of their rights dependent on maintaining a relationship with their husband, brother, father, and/or sons. If this relationship is fractured in some way (e.g. divorce, death) women can find themselves in a tenuous situation regarding land access. Several tools, mechanisms, and initiatives aimed at dealing with these constraints have been implemented in Senegal. For example, some women use women’s promotion groups to secure land in their name or the name of their group, taking men out of the equation. Other initiatives focus on sensitizing men to raise their awareness of the importance of women’s land access, while also educating women.

Gender Gap Analysis Part 2 : Catalog of Tools, Mechanisms, and Initiatives for Reducing Gender Inequalities in Land Tenure in Senegal

Resource Key: 495AHIPJ

Document Type: Report

Creator:

Author:

  • World Bank

Creators Name: {mb_resource_zotero_creatorsname}

Place: Washington D.C.

Institution: World Bank

Date: 2024

Language: en

Secure access to housing, land, and property (HLP) is essential for development. Land rights are fundamental to supporting livelihoods, food security, and asset building, while women’s HLP rights can generate not only economic benefits (land value, improved agricultural productivity, access to credit etc.), but social benefits, such as improved bargaining power within the household and community. According to national statistics, women in Senegal account for 70 percent of the rural working population. Furthermore, women are significant con tributors to agricultural production, specifically subsistence crops. Yet only 6 percent of them own farmland and just 2.5 percent own housing. Despite a generally favorable legal framework and the fact that Senegalese women are significant users of land, access to land and control over it remains a major challenge for Senegalese women. Civil society organizations (CSOs) working in the field have consistently noted that women do not have equal access to or control over land compared to men. In practice, social and religious norms continue to play an important role in gender relations, particularly where land is concerned: most Senegalese women gain access to land or housing through a male relative, with the security of their rights dependent on maintaining a relationship with their husband, brother, father, and/or sons. If this relationship is fractured in some way (e.g. divorce, death) women can find themselves in a tenuous situation regarding land access. Several tools, mechanisms, and initiatives aimed at dealing with these constraints have been implemented in Senegal. For example, some women use women’s promotion groups to secure land in their name or the name of their group, taking men out of the equation. Other initiatives focus on sensitizing men to raise their awareness of the importance of women’s land access, while also educating women.

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