The structures and practices of families are crucial in determining gender-differentiated patterns of access to land and other forms of property/productive resources. However, major
redistributional or reform programmes such as that of land have failed to take this into account.
This paper addresses, conceptually, women's and men's claims to land/property in terms of via
more recent land reforms experience
to discuss the importance to property reform of a gendered understanding of the family. Besides,
it attempts to probe the direction of change in property-related practices, including inheritance,
dowry and residence, in contemporary Kerala to understand the implications of the emerging
practices for women's property rights.
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