世界银行-塞内加尔的土地权和性别不平等（英）-2024-77页_6mb

LAND RIGHTS AND GENDER INEQUALITY IN SENEGAL: KEY FINDINGS

1. Legal Framework and Gender Discrimination

• Senegal’s Constitution and National Domain Law (NDL) prohibit gender discrimination in land rights, but patriarchal norms and traditions limit women's access.
• Women constitute 70% of the rural labor force but own only 6% of agricultural land and 2.5% of housing.
• Customary practices subordinate women in land governance, with the head of household (usually male) controlling land allocation.

2. Land Access Challenges for Women

• Primary methods for women to access land: inheritance, loans, and gifts (temporary and secondary rights).
• Only 24.3% of women hold land rights, compared to 40.5% of men. Among those with rights, 40.7% obtained them through temporary loans.
• Widows, divorced women, and those in polygamous marriages face heightened vulnerability due to reliance on male relatives for land access.

3. Land Governance and Women’s Participation

• Local authorities show improved gender parity (47% women on municipal councils), but women are poorly represented (3.4%) in land commissions.
• Patriarchal norms in governance forums limit women’s voice, and lack of transparency exacerbates their marginalization.
• Women’s participation in formal institutions is limited, though initiatives like women’s promotion groups (WPGs) have enabled collective access.

4. Impact of Commodification and Interventions

• Land commodification offers some avenues for women to bypass traditional exclusions, but economic constraints remain a barrier.
• Interventions, including capacity building, reduced survey fees, and WPGs, have improved land tenure security but need to be adapted to local contexts.

5. Recommendations for Improvement

• Legislative Action: Enforce gender quotas in land allocations and update laws to integrate women’s rights.
• Capacity Building: Train women on land access procedures and promote awareness among men and community leaders.
• Policy Integration: Ensure land governance tools (e.g., land charters) prioritize women’s inclusion and equitable access.