Overview

In order to fully participate in an economy, one must have access to resources that create economic growth and the agency to make economic decisions. Secure land rights are often at the crux of access and agency as secure land rights means you have a qualifying asset to apply for a bank loan, can control agricultural commodities, provide food for your family, and can make the decision to buy or sell land. However, women often face prohibitive barriers, be that legal or customary, preventing their full participation in the economy, even despite comprising an estimated 43% of the agricultural workforce. Studies have even shown that when women are empowered with this access and agency to participate in the economy they are more likely to reinvest in their family and community – making investments in women’s economic empowerment not only an investment in gender equality, but an investment in the future.

Landesa’s advocacy team is working to ensure the international development goals and laws of the US Government on women’s economic empowerment include secure access to land as a member of the Coalition for Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality, an advocacy coalition that seeks to advance women’s economic empowerment and equality as a foreign policy priority of the U.S. government and multilateral development institutions.

Links

CWEEE Website: https://www.icrw.org/cweee/

WEEE Act of 2018: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/3247