Empowering women through land ownership; A path to equality in nepal

Abstract

Promoting women's empowerment and economic well-being in underdeveloped nations is greatly facilitated by guaranteeing equal access to property ownership. This study empirically examines the impact of women's exclusive or shared ownership of property on their capacity to engage in negotiations within the household pertaining to healthcare decisions, substantial household expenses, and visits to family or relatives. By utilising data from the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys and employing the Lundberg and Pollak model of noncooperative household bargaining, the study investigate the empirical connection between land ownership and the empowerment of women.The analysis of Multiple Linear Regression indicates a robust and statistically significant association between land ownership and women's empowerment, with an odds ratio of 1.588. This suggests that for every additional unit of land ownership, there is an estimated 58.8% rise in the probability of women making decisions independently. The educational status of an individual has a notable impact, as indicated by an odds ratio of 1.353. This implies that decision-making power increases by 35.3% for each unit increase in education. Variables such as wealth index have a negligible impact, however belonging to the Muslim ethnicity group is associated with a negative correlation to decision-making power, with an odds ratio of 0.208.The findings highlight the minimal impact of financial resources and ethnic background, while emphasising the importance of education, age, marital status, and household structure. The results emphasise the pivotal significance of land ownership in promoting gender equality and enabling women to have autonomy in making healthcare decisions. Policymakers and practitioners in Nepal can apply these findings to promote gender equality and empower women. Keywords: gender, landownership, women empowerment, decision-making