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Patriarchy, Culture and Land: Challenges in Securing Women’s Ownership and Titling Rights in La Paz, Bolivia by Deborah Carvalho B.A., University of Victoria, 2005 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Latin American Studies Program Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Deborah Carvalho 2012 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2012 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for “Fair Dealing.” Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Deborah Carvalho Degree: Master of Arts (Latin American Studies) Title of Thesis: Patriarchy, Culture and Land: Challenges in Securing Women’s Ownership and Titling Rights in La Paz, Bolivia Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Alexander Dawson Professor, Department of History Simon Fraser University Dr. John Brohman Senior Supervisor Associate Professor, Department of Geography Simon Fraser University Dr. Hannah Wittman Supervisor Assistant Professor, Sociology Simon Fraser University Dr. Habiba Zaman External Examiner Professor, Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, Simon Fraser University Date Defended/Approved: April 10, 2012 ii Partial Copyright Licence iii STATEMENT OF ETHICS APPROVAL The author, whose name appears on the title page of this work, has obtained, for the research described in this work, either: (a) Human research ethics approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics, or (b) Advance approval of the animal care protocol from the University Animal Care Committee of Simon Fraser University; or has conducted the research (c) as a co-investigator, collaborator or research assistant in a research project approved in advance, or (d) as a member of a course approved in advance for minimal risk human research, by the Office of Research Ethics. A copy of the approval letter has been filed at the Theses Office of the University Library at the time of submission of this thesis or project. The original application for approval and letter of approval are filed with the relevant offices. Inquiries may be directed to those authorities. Simon Fraser University Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada Last update: Spring 2010 Abstract Studies recognize that formal land ownership for poor rural women in developing countries may provide socio-economic benefits that may significantly improve women’s lives. Despite the high involvement of women in rural activities, in many developing countries women experience land tenure insecurity. Bolivia has some of the most advanced gender-sensitive land laws in Latin America, which explicitly recognize the goal of gender equality in land ownership and titling programs. Yet, full implementation and wide recognition of these laws remain a challenge in practice. Using a qualitative approach based on field research in the department of La Paz, Bolivia, this thesis examines how socio-cultural practices and norms combined with institutional obstacles, may hinder Bolivian rural women’s ability to ensure their land rights are respected, recognized, and secured. The success of ensuring gender equality in land policies and titling programs must involve an analysis and consideration of the local socio-cultural frameworks that may be gender discriminatory. Keywords: Land; women’ rights; patriarchy; ownership; socio-cultural iv Dedication Dedico esta tese ao meu avo, Fernando Carvalho y a mis compañeros del programa de Latin American Studies, especialmente a Giselle Liberman y Jacobo Calles por su apoyo y amistad. v Acknowledgements I would like to first thank my thesis supervisor, John Brohman, who invited me to participate in the project of SFU’s Center for Sustainable Community Development in Bolivia, and whose guidance and assistance was invaluable to this study. I am also very thankful to Hannah Wittman for agreeing to co-supervise my thesis, for challenging my assumptions and for all her excellent constructive guidance and feedback. I also wish to thank Alexander Dawson and Habiba Zaman for serving in my committee, and the department’s secretary, Carlotta Spino, for her patience with all my inquiries and assistance with bureaucratic matters. In addition, an enormous thanks goes to Gretchen Hernandez for making the internship with CECASEM possible, for helping with all the logistics involved with it, and for being a constant source of support and encouragement while we lived and researched in Bolivia. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all the staff members of CECASEM, particularly Patricia Bustamante, Janeth Conde, Jessica, Daniela Cardenas, Juan Carlos, Yolanda, and all the other staff members for all their assistance while interning at CECASEM, for being patient with me and for being excellent hosts. A special thanks to Juan Carlos and Yolanda for taking me to beautiful Sorata, for helping with the interviews and for sharing Bolivia’s culture and traditions with me. A warm thanks to Jessica as well for introducing me to key participants in La Paz. An enormous appreciation and gratitude goes as well to all the participants who took their time to talk to me and who made this research project possible. A special thanks to Rina Zeballos and Patricia Costas for their interest and support in my research. vi Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................... ii Partial Copyright Licence ............................................................................................... iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ....................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures................................................................................................................. ix List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................. ix 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Research Question and Justification ...................................................................... 4 1.2. Methodology ........................................................................................................... 6 1.3. Site Description .................................................................................................... 10 2. Literature Review ................................................................................................ 12 2.1. Why Land Ownership Matters to Rural Women .................................................... 12 2.2. Obstacles Worldwide to Women’s Land Ownership Rights ................................... 17 3. Historical Framework of Women’s Rights in Bolivia’s Land Laws and Land Titling Program ......................................................................................... 20 3.1. The Agrarian Reform Law of 1953 ........................................................................ 21 3.2. The 1996 INRA Law ............................................................................................. 24 3.3. The Land Law of 2006 and the 2009 Constitution ................................................. 29 3.3.1. Progress and Current Situation of Land Titling for Women ........................ 34 4. Research Findings ............................................................................................. 39 4.1. Rural Bolivian Women’s Perception on Land Ownership ...................................... 41 4.2. Socio-Cultural Factors .......................................................................................... 52 4.2.1. Mujer No Mas eres!: Usos y Costumbres and Patriarchy .......................... 53 4.2.2. Land and Traditional Norms and Practices ................................................ 57 4.2.3. Education and Participation: “No sabemos, no conocemos” ...................... 61 Further Considerations: Patriarchy and De-Patriarchalization ............................... 67 4.3. Institutional Factors .............................................................................................. 70 4.3.1. Bureaucracy .............................................................................................. 70 4.3.2. Diffusion of laws and policies .................................................................... 71 4.3.3. Discontinuity of Informed Staff .................................................................. 72 vii 5. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 74 5.1. Recommendations...............................................................................................