University of Chicago Press Women and Property in Urban India

Product Description Half the world's population now lives in cities. Governments andinternational development agencies have made housing the urban poor apriority, but few focus on women's needs. Based on researchconducted in Ahmedabad in collaboration with the Self-EmployedWomen's Association (SEWA), this book maps the constraints andopportunities that low-income women throughout the Global South face insecuring property, which remains overwhelmingly in male hands. Theirexperiences and vulnerabilities open a window to assess not only landtenure and property laws but also potential solutions such asmicrocredit financing and diverse theoretical approaches to gender anddevelopment. From the Inside Flap Half the world's population now lives in cities. Governments and international development agencies have made housing the urban poor a priority, but few focus on women's needs. Based on research conducted in Ahmedabad in collaboration with the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), this book maps the constraints and opportunities that low-income women throughout the Global South face in securing property, which remains overwhelmingly in male hands. Their experiences and vulnerabilities open a window to assess not only land tenure and property laws but also potential solutions such as microcredit financing and diverse theoretical approaches to gender and development. From the Back Cover Half the world's population now lives in cities. Governments and international development agencies have made housing the urban poor a priority, but few focus on women's needs. Based on research conducted in Ahmedabad in collaboration with the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), this book maps the constraints and opportunities that low-income women throughout the Global South face in securing property, which remains overwhelmingly in male hands. Their experiences and vulnerabilities open a window to assess not only land tenure and property laws but also potential solutions such as microcredit financing and diverse theoretical approaches to gender and development. About the Author Bipasha Baruah is an assistant professor ofinternational studies at California State University, Long Beach. Shehas also served as a gender specialist on CIDA's Eastern CaribbeanEconomic Management Program and as a consultant on gender andenvironmental issues to Foreign Affairs Canada.