### id242087635 wife inheritance is tied to patrilineal control of land > According to informed sources in Zimbabwe, until recently, it was common for a widow to be “inherited” by a male relative of her husband, along with the couple’s property. In many cases, this amounted to a forced marriage, as the widow would believe that she had no choice but to marry the relative under customary practice. This form of “wife inheritance” or “widow inheritance” served to keep land and other property within the deceased husband’s family and was meant to protect the widow and surviving children. Zimbabwe has grappled with high rates of HIV prevalence since the late 1980s.[26](https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/01/24/you-will-get-nothing/violations-property-and-inheritance-rights-widows-zimbabwe) As the epidemic has continued, the practice of wife inheritance has decreased.[27](https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/01/24/you-will-get-nothing/violations-property-and-inheritance-rights-widows-zimbabwe) While it is a positive development that widows are less often forced to marry an in-law, some in-laws still feel entitled to the property of the deceased, and property grabbing continues - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fjx0t0jexfqwqdt218p97ty8) - [[You Will Get Nothing via Human Rights Watch#id242087635 wife inheritance is tied to patrilineal control of land|View in Vault]]