Women and children are the most impacted by homelessness but there is currently inadequate documentation of women’s land rights and ownership of land worldwide. We know access to land rights, tenure rights, loans and financing are severely limited or non existent in many parts of the globe. Social norms, legal barriers, inability to travel, inability to obtain education and materials needed to make the most of the land or build on it, gender bias and discrimination in the courts, are some of the main obstacles to women attaining, retaining, and maintaining land. Challenging these barriers can lead to domestic violence keeping women from pursuing their rights. Women’s access to land is essential for women’s economic security. It is a basic human right. Owning land provides security and bargaining power. It is a pathway out of hunger, homelessness and poverty. Sixty percent of the world lacks formal identification and therefore access to education, financial support, and legal representation. Policies do exist but they need to be updated and implemented through consultation with people in the know. A materialistic world view of humanity as greedy, jealous, competitive, narcissistic and vulgar needs to be transformed into a positive view of humanity as generous, empathic, reflective, compassionate and blessed. Compassion and consultation are needed to create better policies.
