WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN PROPERTY INHERITANCE
Only 4 percent of women in Kosovo have this right respected. Whereas, 17 percent of properties in Kosovo are registered in their name. This low percentage comes as a result of several different factors. One of them is that inheritance in property is considered as something which belongs only to boys or men of the family but not to girls or women.
Illustration: Argjira Kukaj
Each of us seeks to be treated equally, but not many understand and respect it. Women in Kosovo face numerous challenges when dealing with issues regarding their rights. There are several factors that affect this aspect, and one of them is the patriarchal mentality of Kosovar society. Although there are institutions and organizations that deal with the protection girls and women rights.
Many of rights that are violated towards girls and women, one of them is the right to inherit property. Although such a thing is regulated by law. This is specified in the Law on Inheritance of Kosovo, Article 3 point 1 states that ” All natural persons under the same conditions are equal in inheritance.”
Only 4 percent of women in Kosovo have this right respected. Whereas, 17 percent of properties in Kosovo are registered in their name. This low percentage comes as a result of several different factors. One of them is that inheritance in property is considered as something which belongs only to boys or men of the family but not to girls or women.
Through a questionnaire and interviews conducted on the topic, it turns out that in Kosovo the younger generations are trying to change the tradition on the right to inherit property, only for boys or men. From the answers and data collected, 10% of 50 people aged 15-30 (20 girls and 30 boys) think that girls or women should not have a right to property, while another 90% are in favor of this right. Most of the respondents (around 80%) who thought that this right did not belong to the woman tried to justify themselves by using the marriage as reasoning, “because a girl will get married and spent her life at husband’s house”, and then the inheritance should be left to the brother. Saying that she should feel free to live with her brother but not to own the inheritance which belongs to her by law.
“I think it is a good opportunity for them to become masters of themselves and not need to be dependent on their husbands. And the fact that I am a man does not make me more capable of getting more wealth than my sister,” is the statement of one of the interviewees, A.K. According to him, marriage is a personal choice of everyone, not an obligation.
“Marriage is a non-compulsory choice and should not determine the fate of a woman in any way, since we grew up in the same conditions and share the same parental love, I think that my sister owns the same property that belongs to me”, added A.K. Unlike A.K., there are many who still think that girls and women do not have the right to inherit property after they are married, but more considering the daughter / wife as the property of her partner’s family. Such an opinion was shared by L.S.
“Everything depends on the circumstances, married or not, because I think after marriage, that woman already belongs to another family, so she does not take care of her parents anymore, and does not contribute to the expansion of her father’s wealth. It belongs to the husband’s estate that they will inherit from the children on the basis of financial conditions or any other conditions. As for women who are unmarried, I think they have a full right to stay in the house of a brother or father, if the family does not have enough conditions to offer them a place to live and if they have very good monetary conditions, then why not offer the best conditions “, Says LS.
Disregarding the right to inherit over the years has created an image for women and girls as dependent beings on husband, father or brother. In many cases the woman is not motivated to be independent but is grown up upon the idea that she will always be someone’s “property”. Talking about marriage and how a marriage has affected the lives of women who were completely dependent on the husband we asked the interviewees how they would react in case the dependent wife would be their sister. Many changed their minds by saying that they would offer from their wealth and many, others by offering a place in their home.
Even though we still stand with the mentality that only the boy should inherit wealth, work still needs to be done and it is very necessary to raise the level of awareness of the importance of this issue.
However, the new generations are trying to work so that in the future we do not face such discrimination.
About the author: Liburna Mehmeti, 17 years old from Prishtina, is a high school student.
This grant is supported by the ‘Civil Society programme for Albania and Kosovo’, financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) in partnership with Partners Albania for Change and Development (PA). The content and recommendations do not represent the official position of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF).
