Women’s Land Tenure Security and Household Human Capital: Evidence from Ethiopia’s Land Certification

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of Ethiopia’s gendered land certification programs on household consumption of healthcare, food, education, and clothing. Ethiopia embarked on a land tenure reform program in 1998, after years of communism during which all land was nationalized. The reform began in Tigray region where land certificates were issued to household heads, who were primarily male. In a second phase carried out in 2003–2005, three other regions issued land certificates jointly to household heads and spouses, presenting variation in land tenure security by gender. Results using household panel data show that joint land certification to spouses was accompanied by increased household consumption of healthcare and homegrown food and decreased education expenditure, compared to household-head land certification. Joint land certification was also accompanied by increased consumption of women’s and girls’ clothing, and decreased men’s clothing expenditures indicating results may be explained by a shift in the gender balance of power within households. Analysis on the incidence and duration of illness indicates that increased healthcare expenditures after joint land certification may be due to joint certification households seeking more effective treatment than head-only certification households for household members who fell ill or suffered injuries.

The impact of gender equity in agriculture on nutritional status, diets, and household food security: a mixed-methods systematic review

“…One study reported associations between equity in land and food expenditure, showing no differences in food expenditure between households where land was held jointly by men and women in Ethiopia, compared with head-only land certification. 41 Two studies reported associations between equity in land and household dietary diversity, showing mixed results. In India, women's name on land title (compared with men's) was not associated with household dietary diversity.…”

Women Farmers and Agricultural Innovation: Marital Status and Normative Expectations in Rural Ethiopia

“…Women heads of households were generally reduced to sharecropping [38]. The First Stage Land Registration (FSLR), initiated in 1998-1999 in Tigray, enabled female household heads to obtain certificates in their name, but failed to provide for spouses in MHHs [36,39,40]. The Second Stage Land Registry (SSLR) i 2003 allowed spouses to receive land certificates in their name [40].…”

“…The First Stage Land Registration (FSLR), initiated in 1998-1999 in Tigray, enabled female household heads to obtain certificates in their name, but failed to provide for spouses in MHHs [36,39,40]. The Second Stage Land Registry (SSLR) i 2003 allowed spouses to receive land certificates in their name [40]. According to Holden and Tilahun [39], 90% of FHHs hold land, 45% of women in MHHs do not hold a land certificate, and in 35% of MHHs, land is certified jointly.…”

Needs and Barriers of Teen Mothers in Rural Eastern Uganda: Stakeholders’ Perceptions Regarding Maternal/Child Nutrition and Health

“…Even if girls are not given land to own, sensitization could also be used to encourage all families to avail land for growth of food or rearing animals by young mothers since women are the main providers of agricultural labor in Africa [41,42]. A study in Ethiopia reported that a certified family ownership of land was demonstrated to be effective in helping women to own land and use it for economic growth [43], a case that could be borrowed for advocacy to help young mothers in rural Uganda to own land too.…”