Despite constituting half the country's population, women have effective ownership of only about four percent of land in rural Bangladesh, according to a study by economist Prof Abul Barkat.

Titled "Assessing Inheritance Laws & their Impact on Rural Women in Bangladesh", Barkat's research shows that

women irrespective of their difference in terms of class, religion and ethnic group are largely deprived of their justifiable rights to land.

The study findings were presented yesterday at a seminar on "Deprivation of Women and their rights to land: Inheritance laws in Bangladesh", organised by Association for Land Reform and Development and chaired by rights activist Khushi Kabir at Cirdap in the capital.

"A person has effective ownership when s/he has legal land documents and can take decision about the land's use and sale, and also about the income generated from it," said Barkat explaining how many rural women, despite being owners, have no control over their property.

"Women's ownership on land or real estate, in most cases, is an issue of tax evasion by men," he said, adding that in Dhaka city 85% of the flat owners are mothers-in-law of men, 80% of whom are dead.

252 Muslim, 60 Hindu, 30 Chakma, 30 Garo and 30 Santal women were interviewed for the study which was carried out in 12 districts of seven divisions.

Men from these communities were also interviewed about their respective inheritance laws - formulated on the basis of religious doctrines - known as personal laws.

The survey findings show that Santal, Chakma and Hindu women were among the most vulnerable

groups because of their restricted inheritance rights as granted in their respective religions. Garo women living in matrilineal society, however, were comparatively in safer zone.

"Most of the time Muslim women do not get their share granted to them as per the Quranic law," said Seema Zaman, assistant professor of the department of law at Dhaka University.

She pointed out how Muslim women are often deprived by their brothers and in-laws or are coerced into declining their share of the property.

ProfSadeka Halim reflected on how the issue of equal property rights was deleted from the Women's Policy gradually from its first draft in 1997 to the latest in 2011.

Journalist Abu Sayeed Khan and women rights' activist Maksuda Akhter talked about the need for passing a Uniform Family Code.

"This law can exist as an option for those who want to make use of it besides the existing personal laws, given our country's context where amending religion-based personal laws is difficult," said Khan.