We Agree… on Condition no one Asks Why’: evaluating the global Mandate for equal security Of Women’s Property Rights

Abstract

Fifty-five years of international treaties and declarations suggest an aspiration toward a global consensus on equal security of property rights for men and women. However, the universal reality of a wide chasm between commitment and practice belies progress in social acceptance of a norm of equal and complementary control over family property. This essay declares that the era of consensus-building through themed global conferencing is over. The project needs to shift base to the local level. The chapter arrives at this conclusion after examining the multiple, varied (sometimes inconsistent) justifications advanced for securing women’s property rights. At one level, this is further evidence of a fragile consensus. At another level though, it signals the need to pitch the argument in multi-pronged ways so as to draw support from the multiple existing and potential constituencies for strengthening women’s property rights, being cognisant of pre-existing worldviews and engaging reflectively with them