Women and land rights

Land in Bangladesh is more than just property - it represents social status, economic autonomy and a pathway out of poverty. Yet, women remain largely absent from the country's land registers. Recent reports show that few women are landowners, leaving them financially vulnerable, dependent and often excluded from agricultural decision-making.
Although existing laws allow women to inherit property and be co-holders on khatian, customary practices still determine most outcomes. Patriarchal norms, social pressure, and informal village arbitration often deprive widows and daughters of their lawful entitlements. Even when deeds exist, many women fail to complete mutation - the final step in recording ownership - rendering their rights ineffective in practice.
While 2025 has seen renewed discussions on inheritance reform and gender-responsive land policy, resistance from conservative groups has made political consensus fragile. Legal reform alone cannot change ground realities without social acceptance and enforcement.
Digital land services such as e-mutation, e-khatian, and the Land Service Gateway offer a new opportunity to strengthen women's ownership rights. Properly implemented, digitisation can reduce reliance on intermediaries and make ownership records transparent. However, without inclusive design such as ensuring women's access to ID, mobile connectivity and digital literacy, technology risks perpetuating the same exclusions.
Bridging this gap requires three steps: legal reform to clarify spousal and joint rights; community-level awareness and paralegal support and inclusive digital rollout with offline assistance and regular audits.
Only through these measures can land become a tool of empowerment rather than inequality for women in Bangladesh. The time to act is now - before another generation inherits the same injustice.
Samiul Al Nafi
Student of law
Bangladesh University of Professionals