article · Discover Global Society
Understanding how economic assets influence attitudes towards intimate partner violence is crucial for gender empowerment initiatives. Analysis of nationally representative data from 15,014 Ghanaian women aged 15 to 49 reveals distinct relationships between specific types of property ownership and the justification of partner violence. While asset ownership is often assumed to be protective, women without land ownership are significantly less likely to justify partner violence compared to those who hold joint land ownership. In contrast, house ownership demonstrates no significant independent effect on these attitudes. The findings also demonstrate that higher odds of justifying violence are associated with younger age, lower educational attainment, cohabitation, household poverty, rural residence in the Northern zone, and personal experiences of violence. The outcomes highlight that land ownership interacts with deeper social and normative factors rather than offering straightforward protection.
Economic empowerment programmes often operate under the assumption that property ownership uniformly protects women from abuse. By separating house and land assets, this work shows that joint land titles do not automatically decrease the acceptance of partner violence. These insights can help development agencies, non-governmental organisations, and policy makers tailor interventions that address underlying cultural norms, educational disparities, and regional inequalities rather than relying solely on asset acquisition.
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Justifying partner violence reflects harmful gender norms that undermine women’s safety and autonomy. Economic empowerment through property ownership is often promoted as protective, but its relationship with attitudes towards partner violence is complex and may provoke backlash. A critical gap in existing literature is the failure to distinguish between different forms of property ownership specifically, house and land ownership and how each uniquely shapes women’s justification of partner violence in sub-Saharan Africa. This study addresses that gap by examining the relationship between property ownership and women’s perspectives on partner violence in Ghana. Using nationally representative data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, responses from 15,014 women aged 15–49 years were analyzed. Women’s support for partner violence was measured through five attitudinal items commonly used in demographic surveys, while property ownership was assessed through house and land ownership status. Given the categorical nature of the outcome (levels of justification), Multinomial logistic regression models were used, adjusting for individual, household, partner, and violence-related factors. Findings revealed that women without land ownership were significantly less likely to justify partner violence compared to those with joint land ownership. House ownership showed no significant independent effect. Younger age, lower education, cohabitation, poverty, rural residence in the Northern zone, and personal experiences of violence were associated with higher odds of justifying partner violence. Findings suggest that land ownership, unlike house ownership, is a salient economic factor associated with rejecting partner violence justification, however, its effect is nuanced and intertwined with deeper socio-demographic and normative contexts.
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DOI: 10.1007/s44282-026-00527-y
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