Analysis of Practices and Obstacles Limiting Women's Safe Access to Land in the Commune of Kpomassè, Benin

Abstract

The realities of land access and management, and the patriarchal system that dominates social organization in Africa, impact women's access to land. This study analyzes the practices and obstacles limiting women's secure access to land in the commune of Kpomassè, Benin. The methodology is based on a mixed-methods approach combining documentary research, direct observation, and focus group interviews. The survey was conducted with a sample of 327 people distributed across five districts. The results reveal that inheritance remains the dominant mode of access (41%), primarily benefiting men (68%) compared to only 12% for women, due to the weight of patriarchal norms. Consequently, women overwhelmingly resort to loans and leases (63%), 92% of which are based on precarious verbal contracts. From an economic standpoint, the cost of purchasing a plot of land can represent up to 666% of the average annual income of a rural woman, making land acquisition virtually impossible without financial support. This study demonstrates that land reforms remain largely ineffective at the local level due to entrenched customary practices. The findings suggest the urgent need to simplify and reduce the costs of administrative procedures and to implement gender-sensitive local policies to ensure more equitable land governance.