Rural Women’s Land Use Rights in China: Acceptance and Enforceability

Abstract

AbstractLegal control of land as well as legal and social recognition of women’s uses of and rights to land can have catalytic effects of empowerment, increasing women’s influence and status in their communities. During past decades, changes in the Chinese land tenure rights and practices have brought important incentives for rural developments including farmer income and living standards. However, the law in books differs from the law in action and the lack of women’s land use rights recognition deprives them of their chances of surviving in rural China. They become legally invisible, ignored and forgotten. This qualitative research is mainly based on interviews conducted in China. The data will be analysed within the framework of theories and philosophies grounding Chinese ideology. As this research focus on women in rural areas, feminism form the theoretical and ideological background.