Is violation of women’s property rights a structural driver of women’s lack of empowerment? An analysis of DHS data from 22 countries

Abstract

This study identifies the link between the women’s property rights and their empowerment. We use the absence of any legal right to property as a proxy for violation of property right and see how it affects women’s empowerment. Women empowerment is reflected by the freedom to make certain economic, social and health related decisions. Using Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data for 22 countries from South Asia, Middle East and Africa, we found that after adjusting for multiple control variables, the women who possess assets are 14% more likely to be empowered compared with the women who lack any legal entitlement to property of any type (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.10 - 1.185). Asset possession and women empowerment are positively and significantly associated in 14 out of 22 countries (and 10 out of 22 countries after adjusting the model with selected confounding factors). Except in Niger where asset possession is associated with women’s disempowerment, asset possession by the women is positively associated with their empowerment. This study is expected to provide important insights about the role of women’s entitlement to assets andtheir empowerment and may inform the policy on the legislative changes to ensure gender parity and women empowerment.