Overview
- Cotality’s latest Women and Property report finds fewer than 40% of Gen Z women rate owning a home as highly important versus about half of Gen Z men, with a similar gap among millennials.
- Ownership lags sharply by gender, with only 33% of Gen Z women and 37% of millennial women living in a home they own compared with more than half of Gen Z men and 66% of millennial men.
- Affordability barriers are intensifying, as 56% of women who do not yet own cite upfront costs like deposits and stamp duty, and Domain reports entry-level prices rose 68% in 2025 against 21% wage growth.
- Mortgage strain has deepened, with repayments on entry-level houses consuming nearly half a typical young couple’s income, a burden that is steeper for women relying on single incomes.
- Structural gaps compound the hurdle, with the gender pay gap peaking at 31.4% in later careers and survey data showing more women report not knowing where to start, prompting calls for government, industry and employer action.