Looking back at the seminar 'Property and gender: Enabling women's human rights'

Researchers Lorena Sosa and Wendy Schrama, both associated with the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) and the Utrecht Centre for European Research into Family Law (UCERF), organised the seminar 'Property and gender: Enabling women's human rights'. The seminar was also supported by the (in)Equality Platform of the university-wide research theme Institutions for Open Societies.

During this seminar, several experts shared their knowledge on the subject. Dr. Selin Dilli (historian, UU) talked about the historical developments of women's rights and equality in the 20th century. Dr. Ans Merens (economist, SCP) explained how inequality manifests itself in work, care and income distribution between men and women in the Netherlands. Dr. Elisabeth Alofs (Family Law, Vrije Universiteit Brussel) spoke about the 'gendered nature of the transmission of wealth'. CEDAW's potential to improve this was discussed by Prof. José Alvarez (NYU) and em. Prof. Cees Flinterman (UU). It was an educational afternoon that provided food for thought.

Women, virtually everywhere, are less likely to have access to property than men. Throughout the world women are disproportionately more likely to have low-paying jobs, be engaged in unpaid care work, or be employed in informal sectors. This predictably harms their ability to enjoy all forms of property, including social benefits, pensions, other assets generally included within inheritance, and forms of credit needed to run their farms or form a business.