This month, in observance of Women’s History Month, America’s Homeowner Alliance is celebrating women and the role women have played in advancing homeownership. To set some historical context, it was not long ago that, as a group, women could not vote or get credit, and the equity of pay compared to men was vastly unequal. We will dig into these topics this month.
International Women’s Day is March 8, a day that all over the world, women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements are celebrated.
This year's theme for IWD 2023 is "Embrace Equity": Celebrating women’s achievements, fighting for an inclusive world, and striving for gender equality. Housing is one of the most important issues for women across the globe. Specifically, the lack of affordable housing and access to equitable financing for female-headed households.
An International Finance Corporation study, Her Home Housing Finance for Women, found that although women make up half the world's population, they are only a fraction of home and property owners.
Female-headed households and households where women are the primary income earners are largely unserved by financial institutions. Although these households comprise a large market opportunity for financial services, policies and regulations make it very difficult for single women to get approved.
This trend is similar in the U.S. and was exacerbated by the pandemic which was especially difficult for single mothers with young children who had to handle the bulk of childcare responsibilities. These mothers were also impacted by job loss or underemployment during the pandemic.
Experts say this prompted many single moms to join the gig economy. But as in other economies around the globe, that income often does not meet the requirements to borrow money and get access to financial services.
One of the solutions is financial products tailored to women-owned small and medium-sized businesses.
In this country, single mothers are making some strides. The Urban Institute found that a quarter of single mothers were homeowners in 2019, nearly double the rate from 20 years earlier in 1990. Also, a recent study from LendingTree found that single women owning a home has surpassed single men. With the wage and wealth gap between genders, buying a home can create more wealth-building opportunities and more stable monthly payments compared to renting.
Are you a single woman or a single mother who wants to buy a home in the future? Join the crusade for advancing women’s equality in homeownership by joining America’s Homeowner Alliance at www.myaha.com
Joining AHA is FREE, and YOUR Support is invaluable.
Comments