Theoretical and conceptual constructs of women’s access to land in rural areas of southwestern Nigeria

Purpose Women’s access to land in rural Southwestern Nigeria remains obscured despite constitutional guarantees of equal access and decades of policy reform. Existing scholarship often treats access, ownership and legal entitlement as synonymous, which masks the more complex ways rural women practically engage with land. This paper aims to reconceptualise women’s access to land as a multidimensional phenomenon rather than a static legal status, and to develop a clearer theoretical and conceptual basis for research and policy. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative, theory driven design anchored in a systematic review of relevant empirical and conceptual literature. The review process was guided by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses framework to ensure transparency, rigour and replicability in the identification, screening and synthesis of sources. Insights were drawn from feminist political ecology, institutional theory, the theory of the commons and the capability approach, with a specific focus on the rural context of Southwestern Nigeria. Findings The analysis reveals that women’s access to land is shaped by the interaction of legal pluralism, customary authority structures and procedural hindrances operating at both community and institutional levels. These interacting factors mediate how women obtain, use, control and transfer land, often independently of formal legal ownership. The study synthesises these dynamics into a conceptual framework organised around four core dimensions, affordability, availability, tenure security and ease of transaction, which together provide a more nuanced understanding of access. Originality/value This paper advances the literature by reframing women’s access to land as a dynamic and multidimensional construct rather than a purely legal condition. By integrating multiple theoretical perspectives and grounding them in the context of rural Southwestern Nigeria, the study offers an original framework that provides a clearer analytical foundation for future empirical research and more responsive land policy interventions.