Why women need 12 times their salary to buy a home, while men need only eight
New findings show that women in England typically need over 12 times their annual salary to buy a home, compared to just over eight times for men, driven by pay gaps, saving difficulties and stricter lending conditions. The disparity highlights a broader gender housing gap across Europe and the UK.
Buying a home has grown significantly harder worldwide in recent years, as rising interest rates, persistent inflation and the cost of living crisis across much of Europe push the goal further out of reach, particularly for younger people. The European Youth Portal reports that more than 10% of Europeans aged 20 to 29 spend over 40% of their disposable income on housing, well above the commonly cited 30% affordability threshold.
Within this broader housing squeeze, women — especially younger, single women — face additional obstacles, contributing to what is described as a gender housing gap. Research from the Women's Budget Group shows that women in England need more than 12 times their annual salary to buy a home, compared with just over eight times for men, a gap that widens further in expensive markets such as London.
Key drivers behind the gap
A major contributor is the persistent gender pay gap, which stood at 11.1% across the EU in 2024 and was estimated at 12.8% in the UK by a Trades Union Congress report published in February. Women are more likely to work part-time due to caregiving and household responsibilities, which limits career progression, and are also less likely to ask for pay rises, according to the European Central Bank — making it harder to save for a deposit and related costs.
A survey by specialist lender Aldermore found that 33% of women see saving for a deposit as the biggest barrier to homeownership, compared with 20% of men, while 76% of women said rental costs were a struggle, versus 67% of men. Older women are more likely to live alone, losing the benefit of dual incomes, and tend to see household income fall more sharply after divorce than men, sometimes leaving insufficient capital to buy again as sole owners.
Lenders also tend to offer women lower maximum loan amounts, reflecting lower average earnings, while part-time or freelance workers are often viewed as higher credit risks. The European Central Bank found only 15% of women have high financial literacy compared with 27% of men, which can add to a lack of confidence when dealing with brokers and agents. Additionally, a shortage of affordable, multi-room properties suited to single-parent households — most commonly headed by women — can push many to delay buying and continue renting instead.
