CoreLogic released its first report on Women and Property for Australia in March 2021. Since then, according to investment property advisors, a global climate of low loan rates has contributed to a spectacular increase in residential property values. 

The period of low-interest rates in Australia is coming to an end, and recent price growth has certainly expanded the gap between those who own real estate and those who do not, making it critical to better understand property ownership disparities. According to CoreLogic's analysis, women own less property than males, implying that recent real estate wealth advances have disadvantaged them disproportionately.

Findings from the data extracted by various investment property advisors

According to CoreLogic's research of its property database as of January 2022, men have a greater rate of dwelling ownership than women. Investment property advisors across the industry have analysed this research and have highlighted the following 

• Female ownership accounted for 26.6% of Australian property ownership, while male ownership accounted for 29.9%.
• Greater Sydney (31.9%) has the highest rate of female property ownership in Australia, followed by the Sydney SA4 submarkets of Eastern Suburbs (37.1%), North Sydney and Hornsby (37.0%), and City and Inner South (37%) (36.2%).
• Women owned 29.1% of the observed investment properties, while men owned 36.4%. 
• Men are more likely than women to possess a separate dwelling.
  Women owned 24% of all residences examined in Australia, while males owned 28.5%.

What is the significance of property ownership?

In Australia, property ownership is a cornerstone of wealth growth and, by extension, a pleasant living.

It has evolved as an important component of wealth and retirement in Australia, with RBA statistics through September 2021 indicating that housing accounts for 55.6% of household wealth.

Many investment property advisors say that the wealth impacts of real estate have a wide range of repercussions for families and the economy as a whole. According to research, periods of rising home prices are associated with higher new car registrations at the postcode level in Australia, reflecting a wealth impact that contributes to economic activity.

Investment property advisors have also found that the rising property prices and ownership can improve reproductive intentions among Australian women while decreasing renters' intentions to have children.



Property ownership's stability of tenure and unequal financial growth may help women feel more empowered to bear children.

Importantly, property ownership is not only helpful to households, but it may also be life-saving. According to investment property advisors, owning a property minimises the probability of being impoverished by the time you reach retirement age. When housing is taken into account, poverty rates among renters over the age of 65 in Australia are 42%, compared to 6% among outright property owners.



As persons enter a period of lesser wages, outright ownership greatly cuts property costs. Housing may also be used to generate equity, which the Australian government has stated would play an increasingly crucial part in supporting elderly care.

Determining ownership rates by gender-what do the investment property advisors say?

CoreLogic has a large database of residential properties in Australia, however, it does not include information about the gender of property owners.

Instead, CoreLogic examined the first names of property owners (where the first name was available) to develop a name-gender link. The findings were then classified according to their gender ownership.

The state of property ownership for females

According to many investment property advisors the main point to be noted are as follows

• In Australia, 26.6% of properties having a gender-owner match were wholly held by females (whether single or multiple), compared to 29.9% of properties owned by males.
• In 2019, female owners purchased 28.3% of properties in 2021, up from 27.4% and 27.3%.
• The proportion of purchases made by men fell from 29.6% to 28.7% in 2021. The preceding decade saw an average of 42.9% of combined male and female purchases, a modest decrease from the previous decade's average of 43.5%.
• 
  

What conclusions may be drawn from the findings?

Based on the research and its analysis the following conclusions can be drawn as per the Investment property advisors-

• CoreLogic discovered a higher proportion of male property ownership in Australia last year, with solitary females having the lowest percentage of ownership.
• In the current climate of rapid price increase, this might accentuate wealth disparities between the sexes and make it more difficult for women to enter the housing market, especially given pay disparities.
• Another intriguing discovery is the impact that investment property plays in the disparity in property ownership between men and women. According to many Investment property advisors, the majority of the difference between male and female ownership is due to investment property.

The Australian government launched the 'Family Home Guarantee' in the 2021-22 Federal Budget, with the goal of assisting 10,000 qualified single parents to enter the property market with a deposit of as little as 2%. While this programme is open to both men and women, it is expected to benefit more women, who accounted for 63.5% of single parents in the 2016 census. According to many Investment property advisors in the industry building on this work may necessitate additional support or instruction for women regarding investing techniques, as well as more legislation encouraging single women and parents to enter the market.