Empowering Women through Land Ownership: A Case Study of Punjab

Abstract

This study examines the status of women’s land inheritance rights in Punjab, focusing on the different regions of the province. Property rights for women are important to their economic, social, and political status but they hit major barriers arising from traditional practices, legal frameworks, and other socioeconomic determinants that differ between, and sometimes within, regions. In Punjab, women generally cannot receive land inheritance legally, as traditions, expectations and weak law enforcement get in their way. Although the Anti-Women Practices Act was created in 2011, the lack of effective enforcement and strong cultural challenges keep women financially weak over many generations. This research used both ways of collecting evidence: it analyzed records from the government and media plus an online poll with anonymous female respondents aged 18+ in Punjab to see what people know about land inheritance rights for women. To overcome women's land inheritance barriers in Punjab, integrated reforms must combine stronger legal enforcement, rights awareness programms, economic empowerment, and cultural sensitization to challenge patriarchal norms and ensure sustainable gender equity in land ownership.