ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING WOMEN ACCESS TO LAND IN ILORIN, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study analyse the factors affecting women access to land in Ilorin with a view of promoting women access to land, the objectives of the study were to examine the socio-economic backgrounds of women, identify the means of access to land by women, examine the factors affecting land accessibility by women and evaluate the effects of socio-economic factors on women access to land in the study area. The sample size was determined from the 2006 population census figures of female in Ilorin west local government which was projected to the year 2019. A multistage sampling method was used. Data was collected from a total of 397 respondents using structured questionnaires. Data was analyzed using both the descriptive (frequency distribution and weighted mean score) and inferential statistics (Factor analysis, pearson correlation and logistics regression model). The results revealed that majority of the respondents are self employed constituting 46.1% while 11.1% had no employment. 62.9% of respondents did not have access to land; purchase is the major means of access to land by women in the study area with 51.6%. Followed by inheritance with 33.9%. Lack of access to sufficient income, lack of access to decent work, limited access to credit, limited access due to inheritance system and tradition practices were ranked the top factors affecting women access to land respectively. Factor analysis reduced factors affecting women access to land into three factors namely socio- cultural practices/ land administration default, financial instability among women and inheritance practice system. Using Binary logistic regression model, the results show that income is the only socio-economic factor that contributed significantly (p = 0.03 < 0.05) to the effect of women access to land in Ilorin. The study therefore recommend among others that government should create enabling environment to create more jobs and to improve existing ones for women to earn more income, this will however increase the per capital income and purchasing power of women to acquire land.