Women and Land in Timor-Leste: Issues in Gender and Development

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the position of rural women in East Timor by examining social aspects, with an emphasis on gender, family and community roles, access to natural resources, and women’s status within the legal and traditional system. This study is based on documentary sources, observations made in East Timor in 2000 and 2003, and household surveys carried out in three East Timorese villages located in Ermera. Gender inequality is presented in customary law and social practices. Women have less access than men to natural resources, especially land, and present a lower level of participation in decision-making. As a result the current women's contribution to rural development remains invisible in statistics and absent from most policies. Rural development strategies and policies should be formulated in line with the HRBA, implying that the principles of dignity, integrity and equality of individuals are ends in themselves, not just means to further economic growth