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Women comprise half the world’s population, but just a small fraction of homeowners globally. While the shortage of affordable housing is a global crisis, women are at a particular disadvantage. Because the majority of women in developing countries are employed in the informal economy, they typically earn less money and lack the formal credit history or access to the collateral needed to obtain a loan through a traditional financial institution.
Additionally, many women are constrained either by legal or cultural norms from owning land. Lack of gender-disaggregated data further limits the ability of both policymakers and financial institutions from developing products that are tailored to the needs and habits of potential women customers.
Building on the findings of the first Her Home study, published in 2020, Her Home II: Housing Finance for Women in Ghana, Senegal, and Indonesia provides country-specific insights into the barriers women face in obtaining housing finance and what steps can be taken to overcome them.
Increasing access to housing finance for women not only grows the economy and improves women’s financial resilience but is also a largely untapped market for financial institutions in developing countries.
