Women continue to be discriminated against in land. Such discrimination in land rights contributes to increased poverty, food insecurity, and conflict in communities. Even environmental degradation has been attributed to lack of land rights for women.
For women, land means a variety of things. A piece of land is security- it provides economic security, social security, gives her respect in the community.
The UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination of Women (CEDAW) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1079, gives states the obligation to give equal rights to land to women as men.

Women are able to gain empowerment on several levels:
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT: Women conduct 70-80% of all agricultural labour, yet in most cases do not reap the rewards of the land. If a woman is able to own and control land, and in particular reap the benefits of the products grown on the land, they have economic stability and are able to feed themselves and their families and generate income for school fees and other needs.

SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT: Women are able to better negotiate within their communities if they have access to and control over land. They are afforded a better position in the family and are able to take part in decision making for the family as a whole. It has been shown that access to and control over land decreases women’s vulnerability to domestic violence.
CULTURAL EMPOWERMENT: When women are granted land access and control, they are able to combat against ingrained cultural practices that claim women cannot own and control land. It is vital that women are able to break down these practices.

POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT: Through securing land rights, women are given a greater role in decision making in communities and societies. There participation in governance structures improves.