Property Rights For Women and the World Community
While women constitute nearly half of the global population and almost one-half of the labor force, they obtain only one-fifth of the world property and receive less than ten percent of the world per capita income. Women are also currently responsible for over two-thirds of working hours in the developing world. This enormous burden is heavily influenced by cultural norms and structural factors such as poverty and political instability. In short, women’s rights to property are far from being universally recognized and exercised. Lack of awareness of women’s rights to property is the key reason for poor women’s property status.
The lack of legal protection for women’s economic rights continues to be a major challenge. However, several efforts have been made to remedy the situation. The International Women’s Rights Act provides legal protection for women seeking equal rights with men. It also requires local governments to provide equal access to housing, education, employment, health, and other aspects of social life. In addition, the law encourages states to protect women and children at their home and to promote self-sufficiency.
The right of women to own property is not limited to land. A number of laws have been passed that allow women to own assets like jewelry and other items considered as “marital property.” However, these rights are not yet guaranteed. In some countries, women are denied the right to own property because of their gender, class, or ethnicity.
The lack of adequate legal protection causes many women to fail in their attempt to achieve freedom from economic dependence. Lack of education and low income means that women do not have the financial resources to purchase the property that they desire. This depletes women’s rights to property ownership, which in turn can adversely affect their position in society. Although women’s property rights are not fully recognized throughout the world, certain governments have granted some level of legal recognition to women’s rights to property ownership.
Property rights for women do not end with property ownership. A large number of laws to address issues related to family, marriage, divorce, child custody, surrogacy, spousal abuse, and child adoption. Because of these issues, many women lack access to legal advice regarding these and other issues that affect their lives. For this reason, women’s empowerment programs to help women become financially and mentally independent by providing information about legal rights and the difficulties that they may encounter.
Women’s empowerment provides a sense of independence and satisfaction that is often absent from the lives of women who are denied legal rights and opportunities. With the empowerment of property, women are able to take control over their lives and achieve personal and economic equality with men. They can enjoy the same freedoms afforded to men such as freedom of speech, freedom from abusive marriage situations, and the ability to choose the property that they desire. If you want to ensure that women are fully empowered and have the opportunity to maximize their own rights and achieve true equality in the world, you must be part of property rights for women and the world community.