Making Strides Toward Equality: Female Buying Power Increasing In Homeownership

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - As part of Women's History Month, Zillow tells KDKA says it's important to highlight the strides single women have made toward homeownership in the last 15 years.

Meghan Schiller talked to Zillow economist Alexandra Lee for KDKA News at 7:30 about the share of female renters who can afford a home in the Pittsburgh area.

"The single female homeownership rate in Pittsburgh is at 55 percent and that's compared to 51 percent for single men," said Lee.

Lee said 23.8% of single women renters can afford a home in Pittsburgh, which is currently a gap of 15.7% behind single male renters.

Lee says single female buying power has increased 1.5% in the last 15 years. Also, the gap between single men's and women's buying power has decreased 1.8% since 2005.

Lee tells KDKA that none of the top 50 metros see women as having more buying power than men, but strides toward gender pay equity are helping to boost female buying power in both Pittsburgh and beyond.

"Just generally women make less than men and that's true for single women and men as well," said Lee. "Especially for the single households that don't have another income to rely on for buying power we're seeing a big disparity between men and women."