Young, single women gaining ground in Dutch housing market
The number of young, single women able to buy their own homes in the Netherlands is rising. Of people under 35 buying a home on a single income, 39 percent are now women, up from 33 percent ten years ago, Financieele Dagblad reported from Land Registry figures. In Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, the proportion of men and women among young, single buyers is almost equal.
The figures show that women’s financial independence has increased, Land Registry researchers Simone Emens and Marion Plegt told FD. More and more women are highly educated, earn higher salaries, and have more mortgage options.
The wave of landlords selling off cheaper, former rental apartments also increased supply for people buying their first home or trying to buy a home on a single income. “Across the board, you see that first-time buyers, in particular, are benefiting from this,” the researchers said.
Looking at all age groups, men are still more likely to buy a home on their own, especially outside the larger cities. But women are catching up. The share of women as single buyers has risen from 42 to 45 percent, nationwide. In rural areas, the proportion of female buyers rose from 27 to 34 percent.
The Land Registry did not investigate why fewer women live alone in rural areas than in the cities. "But we suspect this is partly due to housing preferences, such as living space, and also to demographic trends,” the researchers said.
