Gender, land and asset survey South Africa

The Gender, Land and Asset Survey (GLAS) is one of the first studies to undertake a quantitative and gendered assessment of men’s and women’s rights over assets – including ownership, documentation and degree of control over use, transfer and transactions – and the implications thereof. GLAS, developed and piloted by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Associates Research Uganda Limited and University of KwaZulu-Natal, is a survey methodology for collecting and analyzing individual- and household-level quantitative data on women’s rights over assets with the goal of providing more in-depth detail on determinants of women’s asset rights.

This study points to significant gender gaps in the ownership, decision-making, and documented claims over a wide array of assets in South Africa. The results also point to significant nuances in the nature of the gender asset gap and its drivers.