1. Ensuring Women’s Access to Assets Cheryl Doss Yale University

2. Importance of Assets Productive assets allow escape from poverty Assets reduce vulnerability to economic shocks Asset ownership can be empowering

3. Women need access to assets Women are overrepresented among the poor and vulnerable Women use assets differently from men Women may not have access to assets owned by men, even men in their households

4. How do women acquire assets? Marriage Inheritance Gifts and transfers Market purchases State or community distribution

5. Marital Regimes Separation of property – assets are individually owned Full community property – all assets are pooled, if marriage dissolves, assets split Partial community property – assets acquired before marriage remain individually owned, assets acquired during marriage are pooled

6. Advantages of different Regimes Community property regimes recognize women’s contributions to the household; women own half of the marital property, even if they did not purchase it themselves Separation of property rights regimes protect wives’ individual property

7. Inheritance Regimes Partible vs. impartible inheritance Degree of testamentary freedom Rules for intestate inheritance Inheritance rights of spouses Inheritance regimes especially important under separation of property regimes

8. Implications Need to be aware of the multiple ways that projects may impact women’s access to assets To understand this, need to consider the intersection of marital and inheritance regimes, social norms and market forces.