Women, Housing Access, and Mortgage Credit

Abstract

The topic men, housing access, and mortgage is so encompassing and well covered that it would be difficult to add anything of interest to the scholar in a journal essay on the subject. Not surprisingly, the reverse is true for women, housing access, and mortgage credit. In a recent study commissioned by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a literature search revealed that the number of serious sources that dealt directly and exclusively with women, housing access, and mortgage credit could be reviewed in less than twenty pages.1 The history of the exclusion of this subject as one of scholarly focus parallels that of women's exclusion in statistical terms from the housing market. Homeownership is an important aspect of life for the majority of Americans. While in some urban areas apartment dwelling is the norm, in most American cities homeownership is critical to full participation in the life of the city. Homeowners are taxpayers. They are perceived as powerful, stable, and solid citizens. The quality of life for homeowners in many cities is higher. They cannot be excluded if they have children. In short, owning a home is another means for women to take control of their own lives. Seventy-five percent of all housing units