Why is a lack of property rights for women so problematic? A. Women who own property always have equal rights in most societies. B. The lack of property rights makes it difficult to accumulate wealth and hampers a woman’s decision-making abilities. C. Women who own property have lower literacy rates. D. Women without property are more likely to graduate from high school and college.

Women are often excluded from property ownership by laws and social norms. The World Bank states that nearly 40% of the world's economies have at least one legal restriction on women's property rights and that 39 countries allow sons to inherit a greater proportion of assets than daughters. Only in 1922 did the United Kingdom and the United States allow equal inheritance for women, and only in 1976 could women buy their own homes in Ireland.

Many see a connection between prosperity and women's property rights. Educated women who control their own property benefit society, says Chilean writer Isabel Allende. “If a woman is empowered, her children and family will be better. If families prosper, the village thrives and eventually the whole country. ”