Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework

Within discussions of land and resource rights, there is growing attention to women's rights, mostly in terms of household and individual rights to private property. This leaves unanswered questions about whether and how women's land rights can be secured under collective tenure, upon which billions...

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Main Authors: Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S., Doss, Cheryl, Flintan, Fiona E., Knight, Rachael, Larson, Anne M., Monterroso, Iliana
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174763
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author Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.
Doss, Cheryl
Flintan, Fiona E.
Knight, Rachael
Larson, Anne M.
Monterroso, Iliana
author_browse Doss, Cheryl
Flintan, Fiona E.
Knight, Rachael
Larson, Anne M.
Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.
Monterroso, Iliana
author_facet Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.
Doss, Cheryl
Flintan, Fiona E.
Knight, Rachael
Larson, Anne M.
Monterroso, Iliana
author_sort Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Within discussions of land and resource rights, there is growing attention to women's rights, mostly in terms of household and individual rights to private property. This leaves unanswered questions about whether and how women's land rights can be secured under collective tenure, upon which billions of people worldwide depend. There is an important gap in conceptual tools, empirical understanding, and policy recommendations on this topic. To address this gap and lay the foundations for a sound body of empirical studies and appropriate policies, we develop a conceptual framework to improve understanding of women's land rights under collective tenure. We discuss what secure tenure for women on collective lands would entail, then what factors would affect women's tenure security. We give attention to particularities of rangelands, forests, and other types of collective lands as well as commonalities across types. A key theme that emerges is that for women to have secure tenure under collective tenure, the collective (group) itself must have tenure security and the women must have secure rights within this collective. The latter requires us to consider the governance structures, how men and women access and control land, and the extent to which women have voice and power within the collective. More consistent analyses of collective tenure systems using the conceptual framework presented in this paper can help to identify which action resources are important for groups to secure rights to collective lands, and for women to advocate for their rights within the group.
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spelling CGSpace1747632026-01-08T20:50:38Z Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S. Doss, Cheryl Flintan, Fiona E. Knight, Rachael Larson, Anne M. Monterroso, Iliana common property forests land rights rangelands tenure security women Within discussions of land and resource rights, there is growing attention to women's rights, mostly in terms of household and individual rights to private property. This leaves unanswered questions about whether and how women's land rights can be secured under collective tenure, upon which billions of people worldwide depend. There is an important gap in conceptual tools, empirical understanding, and policy recommendations on this topic. To address this gap and lay the foundations for a sound body of empirical studies and appropriate policies, we develop a conceptual framework to improve understanding of women's land rights under collective tenure. We discuss what secure tenure for women on collective lands would entail, then what factors would affect women's tenure security. We give attention to particularities of rangelands, forests, and other types of collective lands as well as commonalities across types. A key theme that emerges is that for women to have secure tenure under collective tenure, the collective (group) itself must have tenure security and the women must have secure rights within this collective. The latter requires us to consider the governance structures, how men and women access and control land, and the extent to which women have voice and power within the collective. More consistent analyses of collective tenure systems using the conceptual framework presented in this paper can help to identify which action resources are important for groups to secure rights to collective lands, and for women to advocate for their rights within the group. 2025-08 2025-05-21T18:34:46Z 2025-05-21T18:34:46Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174763 en Open Access Elsevier Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Doss, Cheryl; Flintan, Fiona; Knight, Rachael; Larson, Anne M.; and Monterroso, Iliana. 2025. Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework. Journal of Rural Studies 118 (August 2025): 103694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103694
spellingShingle common property
forests
land rights
rangelands
tenure security
women
Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.
Doss, Cheryl
Flintan, Fiona E.
Knight, Rachael
Larson, Anne M.
Monterroso, Iliana
Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework
title Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework
title_full Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework
title_fullStr Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework
title_full_unstemmed Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework
title_short Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework
title_sort women s tenure security on collective lands a conceptual framework
topic common property
forests
land rights
rangelands
tenure security
women
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174763
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