A-9/94 Rural women’s status in family and property law: Lessons from Norway

In Norway the right of succession is determined according to age and not according to sex and age as was previously the case; thus we have formally established equal rights for both sexes. As a result, it might be anticipated that within a few years, half of all Norwegian intergenerational transfers of farms would be to women. Recent studies show, however, that young women are less likely than young men to take over their parents' farm and that they seem to waive their inheritance in favour of their younger brothers. The central theme of this chapter is to consider how best to explain the discrepancy between the legal rights and the practical status of women as successors of farms.