Sustainable Cities Research Flagship - Projects

Publications and Other Research Outputs

• No home at the end of the Road? A survey of single women over 40 years of age who do not believe they will own their housing outright at retirement (2011) Dr Andrea Sharam

Context

Research on women and housing predicts that the continuing gender wage gap and caring responsibilities mean women will generally continue to be poorer than men and that this will have adverse outcomes for women’s housing security over the next 15 years (Tually, Beer and Faulkner. 2007. Too Big to Ignore: Future Issues for Australian Women’s Housing 2006-2025, AHURI).  This finding is informed by ABS population forecasting that projects a significant increase in the number and proportion of lone female households to 2026. While both men and women suffer in housing terms when divorce or separation occurs, women in general suffer to a greater extent, and more often irretrievably. One contributory factor is that women are less likely to re-partner. The consequence is an increasing number of older, single women unable to achieve home ownership, and who face highly impoverished old age.  This has meant that single, older women are now attempting to access homelessness services in unprecedented numbers, despite there being no service system for them.

The private sector has responded to the housing crisis with a proliferation of informal rooming houses that are often sub-standard, always expensive, frequently unsafe and over-crowded. Consumers’ views of these establishments are almost invariably very negative. The community housing sector, despite the recent injection of funding, is small and generally orientated to low income and disadvantaged tenants. Nevertheless, it has the flexibility to adopt a range of models and is able to serve a wider constituency than public housing. This includes rent-to-buy schemes, shared equity and other mortgage-backed finance housing products.  Landcom in NSW and the SA Affordable Housing Unit have created affordable home-ownership schemes that potentially have wider application.

However, our understanding of single older women’s willingness and capacity to take up innovative and alternative schemes to achieve home ownership is limited. Greater understanding of what single, older women can afford and what they would be willing to self-fund is crucial to developing a housing model to fit their needs. This research will provide that much needed knowledge.

Research Programme

The Women and Housing Affordability Survey will open in late April 2011 and will remain open for 2 months. The results of the research will be available in a published report that will be promoted by the Salvation Army during Anti-Poverty Week, October 16-22 October 2011.

Project Outcomes

The research will result in a public report, media coverage and a scholarly journal article.

Links

• ‘A predictable crisis: older, single women as the new face of homelessness' (2010) Dr Andrea Sharam
• 'Too Big to Ignore: Future Issues for Australian Women's Housing. 2006-2025', (2007) Dr Selina Tually, Professor Andrew Beer, Dr Debbie Faulkner
• Going it Alone: Single, Low Needs Women and  Hidden Homelessness, (2008) Dr Andrea Sharam, Women's Information, Support and Housing in the North
• 'It could be you: female, single, older and homeless', (2010)  Ludo McFerran, Homelessness NSW, the Older Women's Network NSW and the St Vincent de Paul Society
• 'The Disappearing Age', (2008) Ludo McFerran, A Strategy to Address Violence Against Older women, Older Women's Network NSW
• Key findings of the 2nd State of Supply Report, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs & National Housing Supply Council (2010), Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2009, Australia’s welfare 2009, Australia’s Welfare Series, no. 9, cat. no. AUS 117, AIHW, Canberra.
• Housing futures in an ageing Australia, (2004) AHURI Research & Policy Bulletin, no. 43, AHURI, Melbourne.