Single women – how they achieve higher rates of homeownership

Higher educational attainment also figured prominently in the study, showing the link it has to homeownership. “Our previous research has shown that higher educational attainment results in higher house buying power and improves the likelihood of homeownership,” Kushi said. “We have shown that education attainment has increased for single female heads of household, and that’s likely prompted the increase in homeownership as well.”

Educational attainment is seen as the key to homeownership, she added. “More than ever, educational attainment unlocks homeownership. The share of single female-headed households with a bachelor’s degree or higher has increased 13.6 percentage points since the year 2000. As a result, real median household income for single-female headed households has increased approximately 16.5% in 2020 since the year 2000, resulting in higher house-buying power.”

Such educational attainment yields real dividends, according to the study. In 2000, the difference in the homeownership rate between those with a high school degree and those with a bachelor’s degree was 3.7 percentage points. By 2021, this gap had more than doubled to 7.6 percentage points. The share of single female-headed households with a bachelor’s degree or higher had increased 13.6 percentage points since the year 2000, the study found. As a result, real median household income for single-female headed households had increased approximately 16.5% in 2020 since the year 2000, resulting in higher house-buying power.

“Women get it,” one of the titles to a segment of the report reads, mantra-like: “Get the degree, get the earning power, get the home.” Increasingly, all the single ladies (all the single ladies) are taking those ingredients toward success to heart.