The Halting Gender Reforms in Burundi

In the sixty years since its independence Burundi has taken some steps to improve the legal standing of women in the economy and society. These steps are partial, as they do not include changes in the property and inheritance laws, the two most importance areas for the economic independence of women. Furthermore, the legal changes in other areas, for example labor law, are not enforceable in the customary law system that handles over ninety percent of such cases. Women have little judicial recourse to defend their legal rights, which implies that in practice these rights are tenuous.

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