When women participate in either kind of management institution they improve their rights to common property. Meinzen-Dick stressed the need for empirical evidence that can show the difference in effectiveness between traditional and modern institutions and show which type of institution improves the participation not just of women but of the poor. In South Asia water rights are given to landowners, who are usually men. Women have use rights through men. Participation in water users' associations can give women a voice in decisions, but women seldom join these associations, despite policy statements favoring their active membership.
Women often find it easier and more effective to call on the water master to gain extra use.
During the discussion, a participant asked whether it would be more helpful to examine rights along other than gender lines for example, across land ownership and class lines. Thus both gender and class do play a role in affecting and being affected by access. In Nepal only Nepali citizens have access to property, but among women, usually only those in richer households seek citizenship. The overall characteristics of the excluded need to be looked at closely. A participant wondered whether it would be important to look at the institutions that enforce property rights and the way rights are assured.