How Women are Smashing their Real Estate Goals

While property investment has traditionally been dominated by male players, a new emerging group of investors is beginning to make waves. The number of female property investors has risen exponentially in the last decade, with recent years seeing the number of young female investors under the age of 30 actually outstripping their male counterparts.

Here’s why female investors have begun focussing on property investment in increasingly large numbers – and are turning out to be very good at it.

Historical Obstacles

There are many reasons that the past has seen women lag behind men in acquiring property. The wage gap, for example, has been a significant obstacle for many women wanting to invest. Women in similar positions to men have tended to be paid less, and young girls have often been steered away from jobs viewed as “masculine” – which also happen in many cases to be better paid.

Traditionally taking the position of home makers, child-rearers and carers, women can be left with large gaps in their resume, less superannuation, and less overall wealth as a result of being out of the work force in order to care for others. Many women take on the responsibility of caring for children and looking after elderly or infirm family members, which can stretch on for years, causing a delay in professional development and career progression that stunts their overall earning capacity.

Many household arrangements have seen women taking on the day-to-day household decisions, with men taking more responsibility around major financial investments. The skills required to make those daily decisions are now coming in handy for women looking to invest, as they use their ability to research, compare and make strategic decisions.

Reasons for the Rise

Times are changing, and women are making the most of it. A large number of women who grew up under the old mindset are now finding themselves single after a long-term relationship ends, in control of their finances and ready to build their wealth. Others are simply ready to make the next big financial move that will secure their future.

And many older women are finding that they are good at it. Years of managing household decisions has meant that typically women tend to research more and make more careful decisions, which pay off in the long run. It’s never been a question of ability, but an increased modern emphasis on planning for the future has allowed women to put their talents to work and enter into property investment.

It’s not just older women. Younger women are now even more likely to be investing in property than young men of a similar age, having seen an opportunity to put their money to good use and plan for the future. One study of 1,000 Australians showed that 30% of millennial women are ready to enter the real estate market (compared with 20% of men from the same age group), and 56% of women are currently saving towards a home, compared with 44% of men.

Attitude Changes

As the gap between the professional lives of men and women begins to close and new ideas about household roles become the new norm, many women are finding their feet personally and financially. The idea of purchasing property now feels more attainable for many, and they’re not waiting for a long-term relationship before they begin.

The wage gap is still a real obstacle, with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency reporting a 13.9% full time wage gap between men and women. However, with women starting to think about their financial futures at a younger age and modern attitudes beginning to shift towards more equitable sharing of roles, women are beginning to catch up and in some cases, even outstrip their male counterparts when it comes to property investment.

Regardless of gender, the most important aspect of property investment is creating goals and considering the future – planning ahead with financial stability in mind. What is changing is the number of women who feel empowered to research and invest in avenues of wealth creation. And if the figures are anything to go by, property investment is becoming a popular, rewarding, and lucrative choice for many.