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Property rights and the gender distribution of wealth in Ecuador, Ghana and India

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Listed:
  • Carmen Deere
  • Abena Oduro
  • Hema Swaminathan
  • Cheryl Doss

Abstract

Women’s ability to accumulate wealth is often attributed to whether they have property rights; i.e., a legal personality to own and manage property. In this paper we argue that basic property rights are insufficient; whether women are able to accumulate wealth also depends upon the marital and inheritance regimes in particular contexts. Drawing upon surveys which collected individual level ownership data in Ecuador, Ghana and the state of Karnataka in India, we estimate married women’s share of couple wealth and relate it to how assets are owned within marriage as well as to different inheritance regimes and practices. In Ecuador, married women own 44 %, in Ghana, 19 %, and in Karnataka, 9 % of couple wealth. Ecuador is characterized by the partial community property regime in marriage while inheritance laws provide for all children, irrespective of sex, to be treated equally, norms that are largely followed in practice. In contrast, Ghana and India are characterized by the separation of property regime which does not recognize wives’ contribution to the formation of marital property, and by inheritance practices that are strongly male biased. Reforming marital and inheritance regimes must remain a top priority if gender economic equality is to be attained. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Carmen Deere & Abena Oduro & Hema Swaminathan & Cheryl Doss, 2013. "Property rights and the gender distribution of wealth in Ecuador, Ghana and India," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 11(2), pages 249-265, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jecinq:v:11:y:2013:i:2:p:249-265
    DOI: 10.1007/s10888-013-9241-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Davies, James B. & Sandstrom, Susanna & Shorrocks, Anthony & Wolff, Edward N., 2006. "The World Distribution of Household Wealth," Conference papers 331490, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
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    3. Carmen Diana Deere & Cheryl Doss, 2006. "The Gender Asset Gap: What Do We Know And Why Does It Matter?," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(1-2), pages 1-50.
    4. Ekert-Jaffe, Olivia & Grossbard, Shoshana, 2008. "Does community property discourage unpartnered births?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 25-40, March.
    5. Cheryl R Doss & Carmen Diana Deere & Abena D Oduro & Hema Swaminathan, 2014. "The Gender Asset and Wealth Gaps," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 57(3-4), pages 400-409, December.
    6. Mary Beth Combs, 2006. "Cui Bono? The 1870 British Married Women'S Property Act, Bargaining Power, And The Distribution Of Resources Within Marriage," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(1-2), pages 51-83.
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    8. Davies, James B. (ed.), 2008. "Personal Wealth from a Global Perspective," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199548897.
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