One of the main indicators that women have far greater financial independence than ten years ago is the increase in investment they are making in property.
Women are either buying their own homes, or are co-investing in properties together with their life partners, according to Trish Luthuli of Pam Golding Properties (PGP) new business division in Gauteng. Luthuli said this was because women were more career driven, many were in leadership roles in business and government, or had attained success as entrepreneurs.
She remarked: “With more disposable income available, more women have been able to invest in residential property in recent years. PGP property agents say they have been helping more and more women home seekers, and according to FNB, in May 2014 about 10 percent of homes in SA were bought by women and 9 percent by single men, and the rest by couples.”
Fascinatingly, said Luthuli, single women had been out-buying single men in the residential property market for the last few years. In 2012, FNB reported that 9 percent of homebuyers were single women and eight percent men.
Though the country had a long way to go in the empowerment of women, she felt that meaningful progress that has been made should be a source of inspiration. “We see this to a significant extent in the residential property market, which has shown greater maturity in this regard in recent years.”