Women and Property Ownership – is
it really 1%?
As Women’s Month drew to a close in
South Africa yesterday, I thought the topic of property ownership was worth
further investigation.
Over the past month, I have
participated in a number of women’s events, both as a speaker and as a member
of the audience.
Some of the speakers have cited a
statistic that puts 1 or 2% of property in the hands of women, globally.
According to Philip Cohen, (link below), this is a feminist myth that won’t die.
All the reading I have done,
subsequently, has indicated that the basis for this stat is not readily
available although Philip Cohen’s article does offer an answer to the source.
Cheryl Doss (link below) does give
some interesting statistics around African property ownership and also says
that the 2% is not based on documented statistical research.
All this preamble is to get to the
point that while the actual % is obviously important, it is also a reality that
less women than men own property.
The African Union (AU) has declared
2010 to 2020 the decade of the woman, and put 10 major issues on the
table. (See link to report below).
Although, property ownership isn’t
specifically mentioned, achieving even a portion of the 10 issues should result
in more women owning property, whether homes, farmland or commercial land and property.
Links, References and Notes
http://wgd.au.int/en/sites/default/files/African%20Women's%20Decade%20-%20English.pdf
Note
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source.
email: tschroenn@accsys.co.za
twitter: @TerylSchroenn
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