Women and land rights in Lao PDR. Treasure your matri heritage before it is too late! Where do we land up on gender equality?

Figures & data

Figure 1. Money bill of 1000 kip issued in 2003. Bill promoting sisterhood and equality between women of the three main ethnic groups. This is even more applicable now, as matrilocal marriage and matri-inheritance rights for all three groups will be presented as argument in this paper. Source: Author’s own photograph.

Table 1. Typology of the decisive variables determining customary land rights.

System	Kinship	Residence	Inheritance
Matrilineal	Women might use own surname. Children can get mothers or fathers name.	Husband goes after marriage to the house of his wife and lives with his parents-in-law. In case there are no daughters in the family the bride might go to bridegroom’s house but has same right on house land as own daughter.	The daughter or son who looks after the old parents (mostly the youngest daughter) inherits the house and homestead and a larger part of the land (na fields) than her siblings.
Patrilineal	Children get only name of father’s family.	Wife goes after marriage to house of husband to live with her parents-in-law.	Son inherits and owns house and land.
Bi-lineal system	Name of children can be father’s or mother’s name.	Depends on the situation who is going where.	Can be son or daughter who owns the land and house. Couples who own their own house tend to safeguard the matrilineal tradition for their daughter.

Source: Schenk-Sandbergen (1998, p. 12).

Figure 2. Some visuals of the “whose hands are this?” gender division of labour game. Source: Author’s own photograph.

Figure 3. Matri-women weaving bamboo baskets. Source: Author’s own photograph.

Table

Number of women: n = 9	Name on land document
2	Own name
1	Five names, all brothers and sisters
1	Parents name
2	Mothers name
1	Fathers name
2	Both names of husband and wife (legal land title)

Figure 4. Mother on motorbike with baby in the sling fetching water. Source: Author’s own photograph.

Figure 5. Mother and daughter washing clothes and kitchen utensils at the water pipes along the road site. Source: Author’s own photograph.

Schenk-Sandbergen, L. (1998). Gender, culture and land rights in rural Laos. Gender Studies, Monograph 7. Gender and Development Program, School of Environment Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology.

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