Liberia: Dowry and Women’s Land Rights in Liberia: A “Double-Edged Sword” for Women

Mar 7, 2018 | Justine Uvuza, Thomson Reuters Foundation
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Dowry is a double-edged sword. Research indicates that, on one side of the sword, it can afford a woman social status from both her biological and marital families. For the women we interviewed, especially women in informal unions, a dowry could help establish both legal and social recognition of the union, which in turn offers women some level of access and use of land and property security.