Although Pakistani women have generally been excluded from land ownership, flood recovery is prompting the government to take action. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

Severe weather has proven to be a catalyst for women’s rights in rural Pakistan.

In July 2010, floods submerged nearly one-fifth of Pakistan, washing away cattle, infrastructure, and over 2 million hectares of crops. In a feudal country where landlords have strong influence, landless farmers face great difficulty in recovering their livelihoods. Because landlords have so much power, farmers have been forced to pay high interest rates while receiving small returns from crops. This system places many into a constant cycle of debt.

To help rural families overcome this debt, the provincial government of Sindh has recovered 95,000 acres of its own land from the flood, distributing it to roughly 5,800 peasants. In an effort to target gender inequality, the government will allot another 92,000 acres solely to women.

While women are legally allowed to own land, Pakistan’s social obstacles have discouraged women from realizing these rights. In 2008, the Sindh government launched an initiative to advance the legal rights of women through land distribution. It would have been an important step in addressing gender inequality — but male opposition largely prevented the project from moving forward.

Now, Pakistan is trying again. Although women have generally been excluded from land ownership, flood recovery is prompting the government to take action. Equitable land distribution, the government and farmers hope, will allow more families to pay off their debts.

Despite Pakistan’s unsuccessful 2008 initiative, this new effort is showing hints of success.

“People realize they are receiving this because of the women,” Amil Khan, a spokesman from the charity Oxfam, explained to the Christian Science Monitor. As families receive the opportunity to achieve economic independence and a real prospect of debt relief, goals of shifting attitudes towards women don’t seem far off.

Although women’s rights remain controversial within a male-dominated society, the government may be learning from its disappointing 2008 failure to empower women. Hopefully this time around, Pakistan will successfully deliver greater economic opportunity to the country’s women, particularly during this vital time of recovery.