Land Reform and Gender Equality in South Africa

Sammanfattning: According to bargaining models, control over land is an important determinant of power relations within a family, especially in agrarian societies. This thesis argues that the land reform in South Africa will not improve women's bargaining power much for several reasons: The government does not undertake enough measures to address the social structures and legal obstacles that women face when they try to obtain title to land through the reform. Since post-settlement support often fails to materialize, many women (and men) cannot use the land productively. Land is rarely given to women living in close relation to men. Also, since the male gets most of the property in case of divorce, control over land does not improve bargaining power much. The conclusion is therefore that the land reform will not improve gender equality much, if at all.