There is no knowledge in Pakistan about how many women own land and how many control land. With the understanding that deprivation from and unequal opportunity to land ownership is a structural and systemic gender barrier, that is both, the cause and effect of
women’s marginalization, this research examines the causality behind women’s landlessness,
poverty and status.
This report is based on pioneering research in the area of women’s land rights; as such, it
attempts to span an array of issues that touch both the technical/policy and political aspects of
the issues involved. It contains analyses from different field sites across the four provinces of Pakistan and also captures different geographical zones, given that agricultural land value increases or decreases depending upon arable or non-arable land. The research explores
women’s landlessness, both the process and the outcome, and systemic barriers in place.
Simultaneously, it explores the conditions under which the system provides ‘opportunities’ to
women to own as well as exercise control over land.