| dc.description.abstract | This paper gives a detailed account of gender inequality in a rural setting. Reasons behind this
difference have been cited as poor definition of property rights regarding customary laws of
inheritance of property and land tenure, which have been found to favour male adults. This has
given male heads the rights to make decisions regarding what is produced, the mode of
production, marketing and sharing of the returns ... Male heads favour commercialization since
this at times gives high returns although paid in lump sum. Female's household members have
been allocated marginal lands that are unsuitable for agriculture, where they use primitive tools,
since they have no access to agricultural tools and credit facilities. All this has led to reduction
in food supply, which, depend more on women's household income if any, or produce from
farms. The situation is worsened when male heads use income from commercialized farms on
themselves rather than in purchasing food for the household. Gender inequality has also been
cited in the supply of labour force whereby a larger proportion of women work in commercial
agriculture more than men. Cross section survey through a questionnaire was conducted to 110
households. A Tobit model was used which gave significant results in most of the variables
under consideration. It was concluded that there is indeed prevalence of gender inequality in the
area especially in male-headed households and more in those households where the male head
consumes alcohol. Recommendations to counteract this are that resources should be directed
towards women by redefining the property rights so as to include women. There is need to find
out whether gender inequality could be a contributing factor to poverty. | en |
