Women’s Land Ownership and Credit Access in Uttar Pradesh: A Mixed-Methods Study of Socio-Economic Impacts and Policy Efficacy

Abstract

Despite sustained legal and policy attention, women in India and especially in Uttar Pradesh (UP) remain central to agricultural labour yet marginal in land ownership and formal credit access. Nationally, women own only about 14 percent of land and operate roughly 11-12 percent of agricultural holdings; in UP, less than 3 percent of agricultural land is in women’s names, and women manage only about 7.7 percent of operational holdings. Because land functions as the primary collateral for credit and a gateway to subsidies, this gendered land gap significantly restricts women’s financial access, economic security, and bargaining power. This paper offers a mixed-methods synthesis of women’s land ownership and credit access in UP, drawing on Agriculture Census data, parliamentary records, national surveys, and qualitative studies on SHGs, microfinance, and land-rights interventions. Evidence shows that women with independent or joint land rights experience improved creditworthiness, higher financial inclusion, and greater decision-making power. Yet these gains are constrained by discriminatory land laws, entrenched social norms, and collateral-based lending practices. While SHG-bank linkages expand microcredit access, they coexist with legal barriers such as inheritance restrictions under the U.P. Revenue Code, 2006. The paper argues for harmonising state land laws, expanding women’s titling, redesigning credit instruments, and integrating land-rights reforms with livelihood programs.