Media Round-up: July 2019

Refinery29, ‘No Room Of Her Own: The Truth About The Gender Housing Gap,’ by Vicky Spratt

‘It’s fitting, then, that the Women’s Budget Group has referenced Woolf in the title of its new report, “A home of her own: women and housing” which concludes that nowhere – not a single place – in the United Kingdom right now is housing affordable for women.’

ShowHouse News, ‘Women are the hardest hit by unaffordable housing,  by Isla MacFarlane

The findings are revealed in a new report from the Women’s Budget Group and Women’s Housing Forum. This report is delivered as part of a project with the Coventry Women’s Partnership.

The report author, Dr Sara Reis, said: “Housing is one of the most urgent public policy issues in the UK with large number of people pushed into poverty by housing costs or unable to afford to rent or buy. But our report shows that this crisis of housing affordability is far worse for women than for men.

The Independent, ‘Housing market locks out women as accommodation becomes unaffordable across England’ by Maya Oppenheim

“Researchers found women need over 12 times their annual salaries to be able to buy a home in England. Men, on the other hand, need just eight times their annual salaries, according to the report by Women’s Budget Group and Women’s Housing Forum.”

The Times, ‘Millennial money: Don’t use your pension to buy a house,’ 19th July 2019

Refinery 29, ‘Rent Control In London: About To Change Our Lives (& Finances) Forever?’ by Vicky Spratt

There can be no doubt that the cost of housing is reshaping our city and our society. Only this week, we learned, courtesy of the Women’s Budget Group, that all over the country housing inequality is disproportionately affecting women, all of which, it goes without saying, is very bad news.

Big Issue, ‘Women are locked out of the housing market by gender pay gap’ by Hannah Westwater

A report by campaigners Women’s Housing Forum and the Women’s Budget Group argues that housing is one of the most urgent public policy issues in the country, highlighting a housing system “in crisis”, the causes and impacts of which are gendered.

RightsInfo, ‘The Housing Crisis Is Hitting Women Hardest – Here’s Why’ by Imogen Richmond-Bishop

Research by the Women’s Budget Group released on Thursday shows how this crisis is disproportionately affecting women. It found that women earning the median salary, which is the middle number in a series, cannot afford to rent or buy an averagely priced property in any region across England.

The New European, ‘Boris Johnson’s personal life raises questions about his political judgement’ by Jenna Norman

“Feminist economists at the Women’s Budget Group have explained in depth why increasing the personal allowance favours men by essentially taking from poorer women to give to richer men. It would also see there be less tax revenue to fund public services which women rely on most to help with the unpaid burden of child, social and healthcare.”

The Wokingham Paper, ‘YOUR VIEWS: Readers’ letters’ by Phil Creighton

In a recent national study by the Women’s Budget Group and Women’s Housing Forum it was found that because women are often excluded from the housing market, not surprisingly, the majority of homeless people are women.