The Culture of Land Ownership: Women’s Claim Making Strategies Masterclass Shipra Deo, Govind Kelkar, Jolyne Sanjak Landesa

Landesa Focus on helping governments secure land rights of poor & women. Leading land rights organization in the world. Winner of 2015 Hilton Humanitarian Prize – world’s largest humanitarian award. Experience in more than 50 countries. Non-financial partnerships with governments.

Landesa’s Beliefs Landlessness is the best predictor of poverty in India Secure land rights a powerful means for empowering the poor, particularly women To fully tap the transformative power of land rights, men and women must hold them equally. Ownership of land is directly related to women’s agency, power, assertion, ability to negotiate, resist violence etc. Better outcomes on health, education, nutrition are also associated with women’s land ownership

Women’s Rights – Prisoners of Patriarchy Women land rights are determined by a complex web of inter-relations between the culture and norms surrounding formal and informal institutions.

Some Definitions Social norms - values, beliefs, and attitudes that result in shaping practices, behaviour, symbols and institutions  governing social, economic and political relationships between women and men. Institutions are socially determined rules that specify certain behaviour to be proper and legal. Formal institutions are codified, in the sense that they are established and communicated through official channels Informal institutions are socially shared rules, usually unwritten, that are created, communicated, and enforced through family, neighbourhood and community. Conformity to the Institutional rules can be a general response to avoid punishment  or get rewarded.

Formal and Informal interface Informal Institution Family Neighbourhood Community Formal Institutions Policy makers Decision making bodies Laws Education system Religion market

Deprived of Her Own Rights She is Anju, 16, eldest of 6 sisters. She is from a village in Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Her father passed away two years back. He had a share of 50% in the 30 bighas of family land. But Anju or her mother could not get any of the land. WHY ?

Never Ending Struggle for Dignified Life She is Mansa, 24, mother of 2 Her husband was abusive She filed a DV case and came to her parental home Soon her father passed away Stayed with her brothers for a while but they threw her out after her father passed away. Land Management Committee is not ready to allocate land to her. WHY?

What is Working at the Back Marriage and Husband – Her all Life Son - Mother’s Only Pride Customs Confining Her Individuality

What is Working at the Back Protection or Destruction – Not Sure My Brother, My Protector Customs Confining Her Individuality

Customs: In Media and Market Customs and Media

Impact of Mindsets on Formal Institutions Policies and laws example –HSAA/UP revenue code Ineffective implementation Land and Revenue administration Ambiguity about individual rights

How do Norms Change Aspiration Defiance Changing norms

Source: Kelkar and Jha, 2016

Land – A Step towards Empowerment If I have land, my husband and children respect me Now we are ‘saksham’; we have freedom of movement, self confidence, and independence. We can manage our own assets and our life.

Here Occurs the Change Rattling the cage of customs Breaking the shackles of gender norms Taking a leap towards agency Celebrating individual identity and rights

Determined for Changing Norms and Empowerment