Influence of socio-economic factors on women access to land in Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

Land has been recognized as a primary source of wealth, prestige, social status, as well as the foundation for shelter, food production and other economic activities. In many countries, access to land is critical for individual and group, but women’s access is often disproportionately constrained. This paper assessed the influence of socio-economic factors on land accessibility for women in Ilorin, with the goal of promoting equitable access to land. To achieve this, a sample size was determined based on the 2006 population census figures of females in the Ilorin West Local Government Area. A total of 397 questionnaires were distributed to women in the region using systematic random selection methods to ensure a representative sample. The collected data were analysed using binary logistic regression, providing a thorough assessment of the factors influencing women's access to land. The study revealed that the majority of respondents were self-employed, constituting 46.1%, while 11.1% were unemployed. Furthermore, 62.9% of respondents did not have access to land. Using the binary logistic regression model, the results showed that "income" was the only statistically significant variable in the model, with a p-value of 0.003, highlighting its crucial role in influencing women's access to land in the study area. In contrast, educational qualification (p = 0.998), occupation (p = 0.815), religion (p = 0.812), marital status (p = 1.083), and inheritance (p = 1.474) exhibited p-values exceeding 0.05, indicating no significant contribution to the model. Government measures such as creating an environment that encourages job creation and empowers women, enabling them to earn more and secure their rights to property ownership be implemented in order to increase women's access to land.