Women are more likely to own a home than men, but still face greater difficulty breaking into the property market, a new report shows.
Australian women are taking longer to get onto the property ladder than men, and while their rate of homeownership catches up in later years, experts say they are still being left behind.
CoreLogic head of research Eliza Owen said the longer time taken for women to enter the property market could have long-term impact on their finances. Though the delay in women getting onto the property ladder only marginally affected equity in properties, it was important to also look at income levels and other assets to get a real picture of women’s financial wellbeing, Owen said.
PRD Real Estate chief economist Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo said it was important to look at the data in relation to the gender pay-gap – at 21.7 per cent according to the government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency. Melbourne Buyers’ advocate Cate Bakos said the majority of young adults coming to her for help were women.