Why single women are winning in real estate

Single ladies, put your hands up.

What's happening: Sixty years ago, women couldn't get a credit card or mortgage without a male co-signer.

• Now, the nation's share of single women homeowners eclipses that of single men, and overall homeownership is majority female.
• In Texas, census data shows 10.7% of homes in Texas are owned by single women, compared to 8.5% by single men.

Why it matters: The gender pay gap and inequitable caregiving responsibilities have historically served as barriers for women.

• But the rise in homeownership accompanies a strong shift toward women-led households, both single and married, Urban Institute researcher Jung Hyun Choi tells Axios.

The big picture: Solo women mortgage applicants made up 18% of the market in 2023 — a share that's slowly grown since mortgage platform Maxwell started tracking applicants' gender and marital status in 2021.

• 1 in 3 women with partners bought alone because they were in a stronger financial position to do so, Maxwell's annual Single Women Home Buyer Report found.

Zoom out: In 1990, less than a third of total households (married and single) were headed by females. In 2021, the majority (51%) of households reported being female-headed.

• That increase was mostly driven by married households, Choi says.
• In married households, 43% reported to be female-headed in 2021, compared to just 8% in 1990.

Of note: In most age groups, women outnumber men. "This is more a reflection of strength in numbers than economic vitality," Pew researcher Richard Fry tells Axios.

The other side: Opportunity isn't equal. Single Latina and Black women have the lowest homeownership rates of any group in the U.S.

• 39% of Latinas who are single and live alone owned a home in 2021, compared to close to 62% of non-Hispanic white women in similar circumstances, Axios' Astrid Galván reports.
• Single mothers also face low homeownership rates compared to other groups, including fathers, Choi's research shows.

The intrigue: Maxwell's report shows Gen Zers and millennials made up the largest share of single women mortgage applicants in 2023.

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