There could also be reasons that aren’t as easy to quantify. “I think a lot of women are prioritizing homeownership more because, for many men, it’s just assumed that at some point they’re going to own a home,” Chamberlain Collier, an attorney who bought her home by herself in 2023, says. It was only in 1900 that all US states recognized women’s property ownership rights, while topics of money and wealth have historically excluded females (women weren’t guaranteed the ability to open their own bank accounts until 1974). “For men, it might just be a next step for them at some point in their lives, whereas for women, we have to make a conscious effort.”
While single women have historically purchased homes at higher rates than single men, their path to ownership is often accompanied by specific challenges.
In late 2023, Fanta Kaba, a tech professional and entrepreneur told her landlord that she would not be renewing her lease in Seattle. Her remote job gave her flexibility, and she spent the next nine months between her parents home in the Bronx and a friend’s place in Washington state. “I had a little bit of a buffer to save some money going back and forth between Seattle and New York,” she says. “I’m very grateful I was able to use that time to save money.” In April 2024, she signed her name to a new housing agreement—this time not a lease, but a mortgage.
Kaba is one example of a well-publicized statistic: that single women outpace their male counterparts when it comes to homeownership. In 2023, a Pew Research Center survey found that single women owned 58% of houses owned by unmarried Americans, while single men owned 42%. A 2024 survey by LendingTree offered similar results, showing that 10% of single men owned homes compared to 13% of single women. Even going back to 1981, single men represented 10% of homebuyers, while single women represented 11%.
Researchers have offered various theories to explain the discrepancy, including the fact that women statistically live longer—meaning some homeowners are single because their spouses passed away. Disproportionate caregiving responsibilities may also come into play. “They’re more likely to be single moms, and they’re more likely to be purchasing a multigenerational home,” Jessica Lautz, the National Association of Realtors’ chief economist, told The Hill. “So, they may have an elderly relative within that home as well.”
This was a factor for Aimee Lee Lucas, a real estate agent and single mother, who bought a home in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2022. At the beginning of 2020, she was living in LA and found out that she was unexpectedly pregnant—and already in her third trimester. She decided to move to Knoxville, where her sister lived, to be closer to family. “My brother-in-law suggested I get into real estate, and after getting my license, selling my first properties, and absorbing all of that knowledge, I thought I was finally able to achieve homeownership,” Lucas says. She saved for about two years while living with her sister and raising her child. “It wasn’t always glamorous and I worked really hard, but I was really proud when I was finally able to buy.”
