THE EXTENT OF WOMEN’S ACCESS TO CUSTOMARY LAND TITLES IN MBOZI DISTRICT, IN SONGWE REGION, TANZANIA

Access to land is a crucial factor affecting women’s socio-economic status, security, and overall well-being as has increasingly been acknowledged on a global scale in recent years. However, the access and ownership of land by women in sub-Saharan Africa are continually debated, especially in terms of exclusion. The study assessed the extent of women access to customary land titles (CLTs) in Mbozi District, Songwe Region, Tanzania. A crosssectional research design was used in the study alongside non-probability sampling to purposively select 8 villages. Snowball sampling was used to select 290 women beneficiaries 0f CLTs in each village for the study. Primary data collection involved a survey questionnaire, in depth interviews, and focus group discussions. Content analysis was used to assess verbal and written information to get an interpretation of their meaning. The Statistical Package for Social Science (V. 20) was used in the analysis of the quantitative data and summary of the responses into frequencies and percentages. In general, the access of women to CLTs seemed to be on an upward trend in the study areas as acknowledged by 85.6% of the study participants. However, the control of land resources was still dominated by men in most cases. Decision-making by the women of their lands was also on an upward trajectory. Nevertheless, patriarchal domination and customary laws still affected women’s access to CLTs. The present findings are relevant for land governance in Tanzania and other parts of SSA because they evoke the voices of the marginalized gender on land ownership matters.