Statistics on Women and Homeownership

Interestingly, single female buyers accounted for nearly twice as large a share as single male buyers for both first-time buyers (24 and 12 percent) and repeat buyers (17 and 9 percent).

Twenty percent of recent home buyers were single females, and 10 percent were single males.

More women (15.5 million) than men (11.8 million) lived alone. Among these, women were more likely than men to own their homes (56% vs. 47%).

About one-quarter of the nation's nearly eight million single mothers spend more than half of their incomes on housing, compared with one-tenth of households headed by single fathers.

Over the time period of 1994-2002, the number of unmarried females owning homes climbed from 13.9 million to 17.5 million.

Sources:2008 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, (Chicago, IL: National Association of REALTORS®, 2007)

2006 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, (Chicago, IL: National Association of REALTORS®, 2005). 

2000 census delivers insights on homeownership, (Community Banker, Mar. 2002). Q 

The State of the Nation's Housing: 2009, (Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, 2009).