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First published online May 6, 2014

Women’s Land Ownership and Relationship Power: A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Structural Inequities and Violence Against Women

Shelly Grabe [email protected], Rose Grace Grose, and Anjali DuttView all authors and affiliations

Volume 39, Issue 1

https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684314533485

Abstract

Violence against women is a widespread societal problem substantiated and perpetuated through inequities that operate within numerous levels of the society. Challenging and ending gender-based violence therefore requires addressing social structures that perpetuate gendered hierarchies and maintain women’s susceptibility to experiencing violence worldwide. The present study examines novel approaches taken by women in two different countries in the Global South, one in Nicaragua and another in Tanzania, to examine macro-level processes involved in land ownership in regions where owning land is a marker of dominance. Using data from 492 women, results from structural equation models and qualitative thematic analyses demonstrate significant links among women’s ownership of land, relationship power, and receipt of physical and psychological violence in both the countries. Collectively, the findings suggest that when women own land, they gain power within their relationships and are less likely to experience violence. Implications for theoretical conceptualizations of eradicating violence against women and practical interventions are discussed.

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Psychology of Women Quarterly

Volume 39, Issue 1

Pages: 7 - 19

Article first published online: May 6, 2014

Issue published: March 2015

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Shelly Grabe

Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

[email protected]

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Rose Grace Grose

Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

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Anjali Dutt

Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

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Notes

Shelly Grabe, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. Email: [email protected]

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