Women, land and rural development in Egypt: a socio-cultural perspective

Purpose The relationship between women and land is not a mere legal or technical relationship but one that is mediated through socio-cultural norms and notions. Building on the work of Feminism Environmentalism, but moving beyond Agarwal’s materialist system, this paper aims to assess the level of change (if any) in the perceptions and practices of rural communities in Sohag and Assiut toward women’s ownership and inheritance of land post the implementation of some societal initiatives by feminist organizations and what this means for rural development in these communities. In doing this, the paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of these societal initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses case study approach by focusing on societal initiatives in two Egyptian Governorates. It also follows a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, whereby quantitative data is first driven by using a survey that assesses the level of change in the societal perceptions and practices toward women’s ownership of agricultural land and its implication for rural development. Quantitative data is then followed by qualitative methods, namely, eight focus group discussions with different societal groups, to have a more in-depth understanding and explanation of the occurring change (if any). Findings The research finds that a positive shift occurred in the societal perceptions and practices with regard to women’s ownership and inheritance of agricultural land as a result of the societal initiatives. This, in turn, had better implications for rural development in terms of improved socio-economic well-being and overall quality of life. This improvement can be traced back to the change in cultural notions and perceptions as a result of four factors: capitalizing on the roles of influential groups, relying on influential activities, targeting men, especially heads of households or elders, and building blocks or partnering with the various relevant entities. Practical implications The misperception of the nature of the women-–environment/land relationship and its confinement to legal solutions undermines the likelihood of improving this relationship and, subsequently, attainment of rural and sustainable development. This study provides some key lessons to improve the women–environment/land relationship and, in turn, enhance the chances for rural and sustainable development through addressing the underlying socio-cultural barriers. Social implications In Egypt, socio-cultural barriers hamper women’s ownership of agricultural land leading to only 5% of agriculture land being owned by women compared to 95% owned by men; a situation that is found in many other countries, such as Kenya, where women perform 70% of the agricultural labor, but possess less than 1% of the agricultural land. Improving women’s access to land, hence, solves a common social problem in Egypt and Africa and enhances gender equality. Originality/value Little work has been done to investigate the socio-cultural dimensions to the women–environment relationship. Hence, this study fills this gap and concludes with some lessons learned on how to improve the women–environment, particularly land, relationship.