Joint Land Titles and Women's Status in Uganda

Expanding women’s property rights has become a central objective of development policy aimed at reducing gender inequality in Africa. With this goal in mind, a randomized controlled trial in western Uganda offered subsidized land titles to agricultural households along with incentives to title land in the names of both husbands and wives. A majority of men agreed to co-title with their wives. This study examines the social dynamics that underlie that result: What does a new co-title mean for couples in practice? Do women benefit in the ways intended? And what are the implications for marriage dynamics? To answer these questions, the study drew on an array of data derived from (i) fieldwork observations, (ii) conversational interviews with 34 couples selected from the intervention’s survey sample, and (iii) conversational interviews with local community leaders. As agricultural land in this setting is highly valued, the study found that land titles are deeply meaningful for women and men. The findings further suggest that women’s bargaining power increases in ways predicted by household bargaining models. Yet, interview data suggest another avenue through which joint titling influences marital dynamics: the act of including a wife on a new title symbolizes a man’s commitment to his spouse and marriage. This is crucial since women’s property rights are threatened under marital insecurity. Joint titling influences marriage dynamics through greater bargaining power, but it may also work through an opposite mechanism—since it strengthens the marital bond, the joint title encourages “cooperative power,” and inspires investment in the marriage.