Property rights boost women’s political representation

Women remain underrepresented in political leadership worldwide. This is not only a question of equality. Research shows that greater representation of women can improve public service delivery and strengthen investment in health and education. Yet progress remains slow. New research asks whether an overlooked factor, women’s economic rights, can help explain who enters politics.

India offers an important test case. Women have exercised their right to vote since independence in large numbers. Constitutional amendments require states to reserve at least one-third of seats for women in panchayats and municipalities, with many states raising this to 50%. These reforms have transformed women’s presence in local politics, with around 46% of seats in local government institutions held by women.

But that progress has not carried over to representation in the national parliament or state assemblies, where women are still vastly underrepresented. This suggests that formal political inclusion at the local level, while important, is not sufficient on its own. What else, then, shapes women’s ability to enter electoral politics? Our new research points to part of the answer: women’s economic rights.

Beyond quotas: the role of economic rights

A major barrier to women contesting state and national level seats is the high cost of running for these offices, in money, networks, and social capital. In India, women’s limited control over property and wealth can constrain their ability to finance campaigns and mobilize support. At the same time, conservative social norms often discourage women from entering public life, raising the social cost of political participation. This is why economic rights, especially rights over property, may be critical for enabling women’s participation in electoral politics.

How inheritance law changed in India

Our study focuses on the impact of amendments to the Hindu Succession Act (HSA), introduced in several Indian states between 1976 and 1994. These reforms granted daughters equal rights to joint family property—an important shift in a country where land and assets are often controlled within extended families. Because states implemented these reforms at different times, they provide a natural experiment to examine whether stronger property rights were associated with greater entry of women into electoral politics.

More women entering electoral politics

We find that strengthening women’s inheritance rights leads to a meaningful increase in women’s participation in state elections. Following the reforms, the share of female candidates contesting elections rises by about 1 percentage point in states that amended the HSA. While this may sound modest, it amounts to a roughly 25% increase relative to the sample average, where only about 3.8% of candidates were women.

The reforms also improve women’s electoral performance. After the amendments, the vote share received by female candidates rises by about 2 percentage points, and their probability of winning an election increases by about 5 percentage points. The reforms do not simply encourage more women to contest elections—they also improve their chances of success.

The increase in participation is driven in part by new entrants—women with little or no prior political experience. This suggests that stronger property rights lower barriers to entry and open political opportunities to a broader group of women, rather than simply benefiting those already connected to political networks.

We also observe changes on the demand side of politics. Regional and state-level political parties appear more likely to field female candidates following the reforms, whereas major national parties show less change in their candidate selection.

Taken together, the evidence suggests that expanding women’s economic rights can reshape the political landscape by both encouraging women to enter electoral competition and increasing parties’ willingness to support them.

How property rights shape political participation

Why do property rights matter for political participation? Our analysis suggests two key mechanisms.

First, stronger inheritance rights improve women’s financial autonomy. Women exposed to the reforms are more likely to own bank accounts, have access to personal funds, and participate in household financial decisions. These changes can ease the financial burden associated with running for office.

Second, property rights appear to shift gender norms. Women exposed to the reforms are more likely to engage in political discussions, consume news, and challenge restrictive practices. These changes suggest a weakening of social barriers that have historically discouraged women from entering public life.

The pathway may not be purely direct. Stronger inheritance rights can improve women’s economic security and bargaining power, but they may also work indirectly by affecting marriage prospects, social status, and access to influential networks. Distinguishing more clearly between these channels remains an important area for further research.

Together, these economic and social changes make it easier for women to step into competitive political spaces. At the same time, the effects of legal reform are unlikely to be automatic. In many settings, formal rights are only partly implemented in practice, and some gains may reflect changing expectations or broader shifts in social norms rather than direct access to inherited assets. Other research has also pointed to the possibility of backlash, with resistance from households or communities potentially limiting or even reversing progress.

Implications for policy

Efforts to increase women’s political representation often focus on quotas and electoral rules. While these remain important, our findings suggest they are more effective when paired with deeper structural reforms that strengthen women’s economic rights.

Policies that expand women’s access to economic resources, such as land and property can have effects beyond the household. By strengthening women’s financial independence and bargaining power, such reforms can reduce barriers to entry into public and political life.

Our findings suggest that legal reforms which improve women’s economic rights can complement quota systems by addressing the underlying constraints that limit women’s participation. But formal rights alone are unlikely to be enough. Their effects depend on implementation, enforcement, and broader efforts to support women’s entry into politics.

This article is part of a series co-published by GlobalDev and UNU-WIDER that covers research papers accepted to the 2026 WIDER Development Conference on green industrialization and inclusive growth in a fractured world order. It is also available on the UNU-WIDER blog.

(The views expressed in this piece are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Institute or the United Nations University, nor the programme/project donors.)