ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies the particular issues that arise in conceptualizing Hindu women's access to land within small farming households, developed and addressed through field research in rural Western Orissa. It elaborates upon a central theme that has emerged within legal pluralism, particularly as it has been used to investigate and develop 'women's law' by scholars in the Southern and East African and Scandinavian contexts. The chapter discusses the particular aspect of woman's work and contributions as significant to analysis of woman's 'lived realities'. It is argued that in the case of rural peasant women in India, perspectives on their work and contributions are crucial to evaluating the particular context of their lives. The chapter addresses the concept of the 'household' as significant within economic analyses to extend analysis of law. In analysing the factors that affect Hindu women's ability to own land within small peasant households, it is necessary to evaluate the legal framework within which such access is framed.
