View source for Inheritance

{{Short description|Practice of passing on property upon the death of individuals}}
{{About|passing on of property or other rights or obligations after a person's death|inheritance of genes|heredity|other uses|Inheritance (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Heir}}
[[File:William Hogarth - A Rake's Progress - Plate 1 - The Young Heir Takes Possession Of The Miser's Effects.jpg|300px|thumb|From [[William Hogarth]]'s ''[[A Rake's Progress]]''. "The Young Heir Takes Possession Of The Miser's Effects".]]

'''Inheritance''' is the practice of receiving [[private property]], [[Title (property)|titles]], [[debt]]s, entitlements, [[Privilege (law)|privileges]], [[rights]], and [[Law of obligations|obligations]] upon the [[death]] of an [[individual]]. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. In legal terms, succession refers to the process by which a deceased person’s rights and property are transferred to their heirs, while inheritance refers to the actual property or assets that those heirs receive.

Succession may occur either under the generally applicable statutory rules, referred to as intestate succession, or in accordance with the provisions set forth in a valid [[Will and testament|will]]. The rules for a [[testator]] to [[devise and bequeath]] private property and/or debts via will, often must be attested by a [[notary]] or by other lawful means.

Legal systems can differ significantly in how property passes from a deceased person to their heirs, with [[common law]] jurisdictions typically requiring formal probate procedures, while [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] systems often allow heirs to acquire ownership automatically by operation of law - the principle of [[saisine]] or seizin ([[Quebec]]).

==Terminology==
<!-- use of italics in this section is as per [[MOS:words as words]] -->
In law, an ''heir'' ({{resize|{{abbr|{{sc|fem }}|feminine form}} (obs): }} ''heiress'') is a person who is entitled to receive a share of property from a ''[[Death|decedent]]'' (a person who died), subject to the rules of inheritance in the [[jurisdiction]] where the decedent was a citizen, or where the decedent died or owned property at the time of death.

The inheritance may be either under the terms of a will or by [[intestacy]] laws if the deceased had no will. However, the will must comply with the laws of the jurisdiction at the time it was created or it will be declared invalid - for example, some states do not recognise [[Holographic will|handwritten wills]] as valid, or only in specific circumstances - and the intestacy laws then apply.

The exclusion from inheritance of a person who was an heir in a previous will, or would be expected to inherit under the laws of intestate succession, is termed ''disinheritance''.

A person does not become an heir before the death of the deceased, since the exact identity of the persons entitled to inherit is determined only then. Members of ruling noble or royal houses who are expected to become heirs are called ''[[Heir apparent|heirs apparent]]'' if first in line and incapable of being displaced from inheriting by another claim; otherwise, they are ''[[Heir presumptive|heirs presumptive]]''. There is a further concept of joint inheritance, pending renunciation by all but one, which is called ''[[Hereditary title#Coparcenary|coparceny]]''.

In modern law, the terms ‘'inheritance'’ and '‘heir’' apply only to property passed by ''intestate succession''{{snd}} that is, from a person who dies without a will. Property distributed under a will passes to ''[[beneficiary|beneficiaries]],'' who may be called{{efn|precise terminology depends on jurisdiction}} ''devisees'' for [[real property]], ''legatees'' for money, and recipients of ''bequests'' for other [[personal property]].

Except in some jurisdictions where a person cannot be legally disinherited (such as the US state of [[Louisiana]], which allows disinheritance only under specifically enumerated circumstances<ref>{{Cite web |title=LSU Law: Louisiana Civil Code |url=https://lcco.law.lsu.edu/?uid=60&ver=en |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=lcco.law.lsu.edu}}</ref>), a person who would otherwise be an heir{{efn|as would be the case if were there no will and distribution if the estate according to the relevant intestacy laws would apply}} may be disinherited completely under the terms of a will (an example is that of the will of comedian [[Jerry Lewis]]; his will specifically disinherited his six children by his first wife, and their descendants, leaving his entire estate to his second wife).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/jerry-lewis-actual-kids-excluded-from-his-will-1818664266|title=Jerry Lewis' actual kids excluded from his will|last=McLevy|first=Alex|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=September 22, 2017|access-date=September 28, 2017|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929055657/https://www.avclub.com/jerry-lewis-actual-kids-excluded-from-his-will-1818664266|url-status=live}}</ref>

Inheritance has been compared to [[nepotism]].<ref name="e543">{{cite journal | last=Pérez-González | first=Francisco | title=Inherited Control and Firm Performance | journal=American Economic Review | volume=96 | issue=5 | date=1 November 2006 | issn=0002-8282 | doi=10.1257/aer.96.5.1559 | pages=1559–1588}}</ref>

==History==
{{Further|Historical inheritance systems}}
Detailed [[Anthropology|anthropological]] and [[sociology|sociological]] studies have been made about customs of patrimonial inheritance, where only male children can inherit. Some cultures also employ [[Matrilineality|matrilineal]] succession, where property can only pass along the female line, most commonly going to the sister's sons of the decedent; but also, in some societies, from the mother to her daughters. Some ancient societies and most modern states employ egalitarian inheritance, without discrimination based on gender and/or birth order.

==Religious laws about inheritance==
===Jewish laws===
The inheritance is patrimonial. The father —that is, the owner of the land— bequeaths only to his male descendants, so the Promised Land passes from one Jewish father to his sons. According to the [[Law of Moses]], the [[Firstborn (Judaism)|firstborn son]] was entitled to receive twice as much of his father's inheritance as the other sons ({{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|21:15-17|HE}}).

If there were no living sons and no descendants of any previously living sons, daughters inherit. In Numbers 27, the five [[daughters of Zelophehad]] come to Moses and ask for their father's inheritance, as they have no brothers.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Numbers|27:1-4|HE}}</ref> The order of inheritance is set out: a man's sons inherit first, daughters if no sons, brothers if he has no children, and so on.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Numbers|27:7-11|HE}}</ref>

Later, in Numbers 36, some of the heads of the families of the tribe of Manasseh come to Moses and point out that, if a daughter inherits and then marries a man not from her paternal tribe, her land will pass from her birth-tribe's inheritance into her marriage-tribe's. So a further rule is laid down: if a daughter inherits land, she must marry someone within her father's tribe.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Numbers|36|HE}}</ref> (The daughters of Zelophehad marry the sons' of their father's brothers. There is no indication that this was not their choice.)

The laws of Jewish inheritance are discussed in the [[Talmud]],<ref>In tractate [[Baba Bathra]]</ref> in the [[Mishneh Torah]]<ref name="chabad.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1170531/jewish/Chapter-2.htm|title=Nachalot - Chapter 2|website=www.chabad.org|access-date=28 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609033429/http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1170531/jewish/Chapter-2.htm|archive-date=9 June 2013}}</ref> and by [[Saadiah ben Joseph]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/seferhayerushot00mlgoog|title=Sefer ha-yerushot: ʻim yeter ha-mikhtavim be-divre ha-halakhah be-ʻAravit uve-ʻIvrit uve-Aramit|first=Joel Müller|last=Saʻadia ben Joseph |date=28 September 1897|publisher=Ernest Leroux|access-date=28 September 2017|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> among other sources. All these sources agree that the firstborn son is entitled to a double portion of his father's estate.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|21:17|HE}}</ref> This means that, for example, if a father left five sons, the firstborn receives a third of the estate and each of the other four receives a sixth. If he left nine sons, the firstborn receives a fifth and each of the other eight receive a tenth.<ref name="chabad.org" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bjec.org/about/moot_court_sources.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-04-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094445/http://www.bjec.org/about/moot_court_sources.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref> If the eldest surviving son is not the firstborn son, he is not entitled to the double portion.

[[Philo of Alexandria]]<ref>Spec. Leg. 2.130</ref> and [[Josephus]]<ref>Ant. 4.249</ref> also comment on the [[Jewish]] laws of inheritance, praising them above other law codes of their time. They also agreed that the firstborn son must receive a double portion of his father's estate.

===Christian laws===
At first, Christianity did not have its own inheritance traditions distinct from Judaism. With the accession of [[Constantine the Great|Emperor Constantine]] in 306, Christians both began to distance themselves from Judaism and to have influence on the law and practices of secular institutions. From the beginning, this included inheritance. The Roman practice of [[Adoption in ancient Rome|adoption]] was a specific target, because it was perceived to be in conflict with the Judeo-Christian doctrine of [[primogeniture]]. As Stephanie Coontz documents in ''Marriage, a History'' (Penguin, 2006), not only succession but the whole constellation of rights and practices that included marriage, adoption, legitimacy, consanguinity, and inheritance changed in Western Europe from a Greco-Roman model to a Judeo-Christian pattern, based on Biblical and traditional Judeo-Christian principles. The transformation was essentially complete in the Middle Ages, although in English-speaking countries there was additional development under the influence of [[Henry VIII|Protestantism]]. Even when Europe became secularized and Christianity faded into the background, the legal foundation Christendom had laid remained. Only in the era of modern jurisprudence have there been significant changes.

===Islamic laws===
{{Main|Islamic inheritance jurisprudence}}
The [[Quran]] introduced a number of different rights and restrictions on matters of inheritance, including general improvements to the treatment of women and family life compared to the pre-Islamic societies that existed in the Arabian Peninsula at the time.<ref name="EI2">{{Cite encyclopedia |edition=second |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |isbn=90-04-09419-9 |volume=7 |editor=C.E. Bosworth |display-editors=et al |title=Mīrāth |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam |year=1993}}</ref> Furthermore, the Quran introduced additional heirs that were not entitled to inheritance in pre-Islamic times, mentioning nine relatives specifically of which six were female and three were male. However, the inheritance rights of women remained different to those of men because in Islam someone always has a responsibility of looking after a woman's expenses. According to 4:11, for example, a son is entitled to twice as much inheritance as a daughter.<ref>{{qref|4|11|b=y}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=4&verse=11|title=The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Translation|website=corpus.quran.com|access-date=28 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301132410/http://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=4&verse=11|archive-date=1 March 2017}}</ref> The Quran also presented efforts to fix the laws of inheritance, and thus forming a complete legal system. This development was in contrast to pre-Islamic societies where rules of inheritance varied considerably.<ref name="EI2" /> In addition to the above changes, the Quran imposed restrictions on [[testamentary]] powers of a [[Muslim]] in disposing his or her property.

Three verses of the Quran, 4:11, 4:12 and 4:176,  give specific details of inheritance and shares, in addition to few other verses dealing with testamentary.<ref>{{qref|4|11|b=y}},{{qref|4|12}},{{qref|4|176}}</ref> But this information was used as a starting point by Muslim jurists who expounded the laws of inheritance even further using [[Hadith]], as well as methods of juristic reasoning like [[Qiyas]]. Nowadays, inheritance is considered an integral part of [[Sharia law]] and its application for Muslims is mandatory, though many peoples (see [[Historical inheritance systems]]), despite being Muslim, have other inheritance customs.

==Inequality==
[[File:Inheritance by amount and distribution received and action taken with inheritances in Great Britain between 2008 and 2010.png|thumb|Inheritance by amount and distribution received and action taken with inheritances in Great Britain between 2008 and 2010]]
The distribution of the inherited wealth has varied greatly among different cultures and legal traditions. In nations using [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]], for example, the right of children to inherit wealth from parents in pre-defined ratios is enshrined in law,<ref>Julia Twigg and Alain Grand. [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ageing-and-society/article/contrasting-legal-conceptions-of-family-obligation-and-financial-reciprocity-in-the-support-of-older-people-france-and-england/4BC6D311ADC015B66FEB13899C638149 Contrasting legal conceptions of family obligation and financial reciprocity in the support of older people: France and England] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201020253/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ageing-and-society/article/contrasting-legal-conceptions-of-family-obligation-and-financial-reciprocity-in-the-support-of-older-people-france-and-england/4BC6D311ADC015B66FEB13899C638149 |date=2018-02-01 }} Ageing & Society, 18(2) March 1998, pp. 131-146</ref> as far back as the [[Code of Hammurabi]] (ca. 1750 BC).<ref>Edmond N. Cahn. Restraints on Disinheritance University of Pennsylvania Law Review and American Law Register, Vol. 85, No. 2 (Dec., 1936), pp. 139-153</ref>  In the US State of Louisiana, the only US state where the legal system is derived from the [[Napoleonic Code]], this system is known as "[[forced heirship]]" which prohibits disinheritance of adult children except for a few narrowly defined reasons that a parent is obligated to prove.<ref>43 Loy. L. Rev. 1 (1997-1998)
[http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/loyolr43&div=8&id=&page= The New Forced Heirship in Louisiana: Historical Perspectives, Comparative Law Analyses and Reflections upon the Integration of New Structures into a Classical Civil Law System] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429013808/http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals%2Floyolr43&div=8&id=&page= |date=2018-04-29 }}</ref> Other legal traditions, particularly in nations using [[common law]], allow inheritances to be divided however one wishes, or to disinherit any child for any reason.

In cases of unequal inheritance, the majority might receive a small amount while the minority inherits a larger amount. The amount of inheritance is often far less than the value of a business initially given to the son, especially when a son takes over a thriving multimillion-dollar business, yet the daughter is given the balance of the actual inheritance amounting to far less than the value of the business that was initially given to the son. This is especially seen in old world cultures, but continues in many families to this day.<ref>Davies, James B. "The Relative Impact of Inheritance and Other Factors on Economic Inequality". The ''[[Quarterly Journal of Economics]]'', Vol. 97, No. 3, pp. 471</ref>

Arguments for eliminating forced heirship include the right to property and the merit of individual allocation of capital over government wealth confiscation and redistribution, but this does not resolve what some{{who|date=January 2018}} describe as the problem of unequal inheritance. In terms of inheritance inequality, some economists and sociologists focus on the inter generational transmission of income or wealth which is said to have a direct impact on one's mobility (or immobility) and class position in society. Nations differ on the political structure and policy options that govern the transfer of wealth.<ref>Angel, Jacqueline L. Inheritance in Contemporary America: The Social Dimensions of Giving across Generations. p. 35</ref>

According to the American federal government statistics compiled by Mark Zandi in 1985, the average US inheritance was $39,000. In subsequent years, the overall amount of total annual inheritance more than doubled, reaching nearly $200 billion. By 2050, there will be an estimated $25 trillion inheritance transmitted across generations.<ref name="Marable">Marable, Manning. "Letter From America: Inheritance, Wealth and Race." [http://frontierweekly.googlepages.com/inheritance-38-48.pdf Google pages.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216223207/http://frontierweekly.googlepages.com/inheritance-38-48.pdf |date=2008-12-16 }}</ref>

Some researchers have attributed this rise to the [[Baby boomers|baby boomer]]<nowiki/>s generation. Historically, the baby boomers were the largest influx of children conceived after WW2. For this reason, [[Thomas Shapiro]] suggests that this generation "is in the midst of benefiting from the greatest inheritance of wealth in history".<ref>Shapiro, Thomas M. The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality. Oxford University Press. 2004. p. 5</ref> Inherited wealth may help explain why many Americans who have become rich may have had a "substantial head start".<ref name="Salon-20140324">{{cite web |last=Bruenig |first=Matt |title=You call this a meritocracy? How rich inheritance is poisoning the American economy |url=http://www.salon.com/2014/03/24/death_of_meritocracy_how_inheritance_is_poisoning_the_american_economy/ |date=March 24, 2014 |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |access-date=August 24, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140731075606/http://www.salon.com/2014/03/24/death_of_meritocracy_how_inheritance_is_poisoning_the_american_economy/ |archive-date=July 31, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="ECO-20140318">{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Inequality – Inherited wealth |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/buttonwood/2014/03/inequality |date=March 18, 2014 |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |access-date=August 24, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120159/http://www.economist.com/blogs/buttonwood/2014/03/inequality |archive-date=August 26, 2014 }}</ref> In September 2012, according to the [[Institute for Policy Studies]], "over 60 percent" of the [[Forbes 400|Forbes richest 400 Americans]] "grew up in substantial privilege", and often (but not always) received substantial inheritances.<ref name="OW-20120924">{{cite web |last=Pizzigati |first=Sam |title=The 'Self-Made' Hallucination of America's Rich |url=http://inequality.org/selfmade-myth-hallucinating-rich/ |date=September 24, 2012 |work=[[Institute for Policy Studies]] |access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref>

Other research has shown that many inheritances, large or small, are rapidly squandered.<ref>Elizabeth O'Brien. [https://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-in-three-americans-who-get-an-inheritance-blow-it-2015-09-03 One in three Americans who get an inheritance blow it] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201075258/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-in-three-americans-who-get-an-inheritance-blow-it-2015-09-03 |date=2018-02-01 }}, Market Watch.com</ref> Similarly, analysis shows that over two-thirds of high-wealth families lose their wealth within two generations, and almost 80% of high-wealth parents "feel the next generation is not financially responsible [and/or competent] enough to handle inheritance".<ref>Chris Taylor. [https://money.com/rich-families-lose-wealth/ 70% of Rich Families Lose Their Wealth by the Second Generation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628185058/https://money.com/rich-families-lose-wealth/|date=June 28, 2021}}, Time.com, June 17, 2015</ref><ref>[https://legacy-matters.co.uk/ Legacy Matters]</ref>

===Social stratification===
It has been argued that inheritance plays a significant effect on [[social stratification]]. Inheritance is an integral component of family, economic, and legal institutions, and a basic mechanism of [[class stratification]]. It also affects the [[distribution of wealth]] at the societal level. The total cumulative effect of inheritance on stratification outcomes takes three forms, according to scholars who have examined the subject.

The first form of inheritance is the inheritance of [[cultural capital]] (i.e. linguistic styles, higher status social circles, and aesthetic preferences).<ref name="Edited by">(Edited By) Miller, Robert K., McNamee, Stephen J.  Inheritance and Wealth in America. p. 2</ref> The second form of inheritance is through familial interventions in the form of ''inter vivos'' transfers (i.e. gifts between the living), especially at crucial junctures in the life courses. Examples include during a child's milestone stages, such as going to college, getting married, getting a job, and purchasing a home.<ref name="Edited by" /> The third form of inheritance is the transfers of bulk estates at the time of death of the testators, thus resulting in significant economic advantage accruing to their children.<ref>(Edited By) Miller, Robert K., McNamee, Stephen L. Inheritance and Wealth in America. p. 4</ref> The average age of receiving an inheritance has been estimated at around 60 years.<ref name="y690">{{cite report | last=Sturrock | first=David | last2=Joyce | first2=Robert | last3=Bourquin | first3=Pascale | title=Inheritances and inequality within generations | publisher=The IFS | date=22 July 2020 | isbn=978-1-912805-93-8 | doi=10.1920/re.ifs.2020.0173 | doi-access=free | url=https://www.ifs.org.uk/uploads/R173-Inheritances-and-inequality-within-generations.pdf | access-date=30 July 2025 | page=}}</ref> The origin of the stability of inequalities is material (personal possessions one is able to obtain) and is also cultural, rooted either in varying child-rearing practices that are geared to socialization according to social class and economic position. Child-rearing practices among those who inherit wealth may center around favoring some groups at the expense of others at the bottom of the [[social hierarchy]].<ref>Clignet, Remi. Death, Deeds, and Descendants: Inheritance in Modern America. p. 3</ref>

===Sociological and economic effects of inheritance inequality===
It is further argued that the degree to which economic status and inheritance is transmitted across generations determines one's life chances in society. Although many have linked one's social origins and educational attainment to life chances and opportunities, education cannot serve as the most influential predictor of [[economic mobility]]. In fact, children of well-off parents generally receive better schooling and benefit from material, cultural, and genetic inheritances.<ref>Bowles, Samuel; Gintis, Herbert, "The Inheritance of Inequality." ''[[Journal of Economic Perspectives]]'' Vol. 16, No. 3, 2002, p. 4</ref> Likewise, schooling attainment is often persistent across generations and families with higher amounts of inheritance are able to acquire and transmit higher amounts of [[human capital]]. Lower amounts of human capital and inheritance can perpetuate inequality in the housing market and higher education.  Research reveals that inheritance plays an important role in the accumulation of housing wealth. Those who receive an inheritance are more likely to own a home than those who do not regardless of the size of the inheritance.<ref>Flippen, Chenoa A. "Racial and Ethnic Inequality in Homeownership and Housing Equity." The Sociological Quarterly, Volume 42, No. 2 p. 134</ref>

Often, racial or religious minorities and individuals from socially disadvantaged backgrounds receive less inheritance and wealth.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Strand |first=Palma Joy |date=2010 |title=Inheriting Inequality: Wealth, Race, and the Laws of Succession |url=https://hdl.handle.net/1794/10955 |format=PDF |journal=Oregon Law Review |volume=89 |issue=2 |pages=453–503 |hdl=1794/10955 |via=University of Oregon Scholars' Bank}}</ref> As a result, mixed races might be excluded in inheritance privilege and are more likely to rent homes or live in poorer neighborhoods, as well as achieve lower educational attainment compared with whites in America.<ref name=":0" />

Nations with the highest [[Income distribution#Income inequality|income]] and [[Distribution of wealth|wealth inequalities]] often have the highest rates of homicide and disease (such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension) which results in high mortality rates.<ref>page 20 of "The Spirit Level"by Wilkinson & Pickett, Bloomsbury Press 2009</ref> A ''[[New York Times]]'' article reveals that the U.S. is the world's wealthiest nation, but "ranks twenty-ninth in life expectancy, right behind Jordan and Bosnia" and "has the second highest mortality rate of the comparable OECD countries".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/mortality-rates-u-s-compare-countries/|title=How do mortality rates in the U.S. compare to other countries?}}</ref> This has been regarded as highly attributed to the significant gap of inheritance inequality in the country,<ref>Dubner, Stephen. "How Big of a Deal Is Income Inequality? A Guest Post". The ''New York Times''. August 27, 2008.</ref> although there are clearly other factors such as the affordability of [[Health care|healthcare]].

When social and economic inequalities centered on inheritance are perpetuated by major social institutions such as family, education, religion, etc., these differing life opportunities are argued to be transmitted from each generation.  As a result, this inequality is believed to become part of the overall social structure.<ref>Rokicka, Ewa. "Local policy targeted at reducing inheritance of inequalities in European countries." May 2006. [http://www.profit.uni.lodz.pl/pub/dok2/6ca34cbaf07ece58cbd1b4f24371c8c8/PROFIT_dissemination_ER_16th_IC_of%20_IT&FA.pdf Lodz.pl] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216223207/http://www.profit.uni.lodz.pl/pub/dok2/6ca34cbaf07ece58cbd1b4f24371c8c8/PROFIT_dissemination_ER_16th_IC_of%20_IT%26FA.pdf |date=2008-12-16 }} {{in lang|pl}}</ref>

Women's unequal inheritance rights refer to the disparities and discriminatory practices that women face in inheriting property and assets compared to men. These inequalities stem from a combination of legal, cultural, and religious practices that often prioritize male heirs over female ones, resulting in significant socio-economic consequences for women.

=== Dynastic wealth ===
Dynastic wealth is monetary inheritance that is passed on to generations that did not earn it.<ref>John J. Miller, [https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB115223979105400349 "Open the FloodGates"], "The Wall Street Journal", July 7, 2006</ref> Dynastic wealth is linked to the term [[Plutocracy]]. Much has been written about the rise and influence of dynastic wealth including the bestselling book ''[[Capital in the Twenty-First Century]]'' by the French economist [[Thomas Piketty]].<ref>Piketty, Thomas, "Capital in the Twenty-First Century". Harvard University Press, Mar 10, 2014</ref>

[[Bill Gates]] uses the term in his article "Why Inequality Matters".<ref>BILL GATES, [https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20141015002149-251749025-why-inequality-matters "Why Inequality Matters"], "LinkedIn", 15 October 2014</ref>

=== Soviet response to inheritance ===
As [[Communism]] is founded on the [[Marxism|Marxist]] [[Labor theory of value|Labor Theory of Value]], any money collected in the course of a lifetime is justified if it was based on the fruits of the person's own labor and not from exploiting others. The first communist government installed after the [[Russian Revolution]] resolved to abolish the right of inheritance regardless of being the result of someone's work or exploitation,<ref name=MSU>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-26|title=Abolition of Inheritance |url=http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1917-2/economic-apparatus/economic-apparatus-texts/abolition-of-inheritance/ |access-date=2021-01-06 |website=Seventeen Moments in Soviet History|language=en-US}}</ref> with some exceptions.

==Taxation==
{{main|Inheritance tax}}
Many states have [[inheritance tax]]es or [[estate tax]]es, under which a portion of any inheritance or estate becomes [[government revenue]].
== Inheritance and pensions==
<!-- Needs some generalised text adding. Maybe something about surviving spouse benefits in pension schemes, which is arguable an inheritance. -->
=== United Arab Emirates ===
In the United Arab Emirates, government pensions can, under specific conditions, be transferred to heirs after the death of a pensioner. This reflects a broader approach in some countries to support families of deceased retirees.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kazienė |title=The country where pension payments continue to heirs |url=https://senjorusvetaine.lt/salis-kurioje-pensininkui-mirus-pensija-mokama-jo-ipediniams/ |website=Senjorų svetainė |language=lt |date=2024-04-15 |access-date=2025-07-07}}</ref>

==See also==<!-- New links in alphabetical order please -->

* {{Annotated link |Beneficiary}}
* {{Annotated link |Civil law (legal system)|Civil law}}
* {{Annotated link |Common law (legal system)|Common law}}
* {{Annotated link |Digital inheritance}}
* {{Annotated link |Inheritance law in ancient Rome}}
* {{Annotated link |Inheritance law in Bulgaria}}
* {{Annotated link |Inheritance law in Canada}}
* {{Annotated link |Inheritance law in Switzerland}}
* {{Annotated link |Smart contract}}
* {{Annotated link |Transformative asset}}
* {{Annotated link |Estate planning}}
* {{Annotated link |Family law}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Inheritance}}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Inheritance |volume=14 |short=x}}
* [https://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-07-25-heirs-usat_x.htm 26 July 2006 USA Today article on dilemma the rich face when leaving wealth to children]

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{{Wealth}}
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[[Category:Inheritance| ]]
[[Category:Scots law legal terminology]]
[[Category:Wills and trusts]]
[[Category:Ancestors]]
[[Category:Social stratification]]