Improving Women’s Access to Land and Financial Resources in Tajikistan
Since independence in 1991, the Government of Tajikistan has embarked on a land reform program, which includes extensive farm restructuring. Given the demography of rural households in Tajikistan where the phenomenon of female-headed households is...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/433701485148442974/Improving-women-s-access-to-land-and-financial-resources-in-Tajikistan http://hdl.handle.net/10986/25981 |
| Summary: | Since independence in 1991, the
Government of Tajikistan has embarked on a land reform
program, which includes extensive farm restructuring. Given
the demography of rural households in Tajikistan where the
phenomenon of female-headed households is quite significant,
women ‘s access to land and credit assumes special
importance. To date, however, no thorough gender analysis of
access to land and finance in Tajikistan has been conducted.
As a result, there is insufficient gender disaggregated data
to inform policy. It is not clear how effective the reforms
are in addressing factors inhibiting women ‘s access to land
and their ability to benefit from any changes. In addition,
due to the lack of data, no comprehensive microeconomic
study on access to finance has been done. Many Tajik women
are sole heads of households and caretakers of their
families as a direct consequence of war and migration.
Migration in particular has a great impact on gender
relations, gender division of labor, and gender roles with
the possible empowerment or disempowerment of women left
behind. Households headed by women in Tajikistan are 28.6
percent more likely to be poorer than those headed by men.
Improving and securing access to land and ensuring the
gender sensitivity of land reforms, therefore, has potential
for improving the conditions of these vulnerable households.
The reports propose several areas of action. While fostering
women ‘s access to agricultural production can be considered
a policy for improving basic welfare, access to finance is
an important ingredient for increased productivity and farm
growth (i.e., professionalization and potentially
commercialization). Financial access opens up opportunities
to diversify income generation beyond farming activities.
Complementary initiatives for women ‘s empowerment support
their access to productive assets and entrepreneurial
standing in society, and may simultaneously lift women ‘s
self-constraints in demand for finance. |
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