UNFPA will work with ISET-PI to conduct an in-depth analysis of inheritance practices in Georgia with regard to son preference. The team will elaborate on the methodology for analysis and will conduct preliminary desk research on the issue. The program will provide a better understanding of the depth of gender bias in inheritance legislation and practices, and its practical implications on women’s lives, their status, and social-economic outcomes.

Georgian society is characterized by a strong preference for sons (son preference) due to its traditionally patriarchal structure, where the birth of a son is desired in order to perpetuate the family and carry on its lineage. The country’s patriarchal structure, the importance of the family’s male line, coupled with the socio-economic environment, has reduced the societal value of girls. This is the normal circumstance currently in Georgia, despite existing gender-neutral law that ostensibly gives equal access to inheritance to children regardless of their sex.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Country Office in partnership with ISET Policy Institute and with the support of the European Union in the framework of the programme, “Addressing Gender-Biased Sex Selection and Related Harmful Practices in the South Caucasus” has been working on a mix-methodology study to explore the nature of inheritance practices in Georgia, and designed to unfold to what extent gender and social norms, such as son preference, perpetuate gender-bias in the inheritance practices that often favors boys over girls. The analysis looks at the legislative framework and the cultural practice of asset allocation by inheritance, asset ownership, and the consequences of that on girls’ and women's social and economic outcomes through their lifespans. The results of the study should help to modify Georgian legislation and societal practices.

The results of the study will be available in 2023.