Older Women & Housing Mercy Foundation Research

Abstract

Women over 55 are at great risk of financial and housing insecurity due to systemic and compounding factors such as:

• Lack of superannuation
• Working part time or casually throughout their lives
• Taking time out of the workforce to care for family
• Bearing the brunt of the gender pay gap
• An increasingly unaffordable private rental market
• Age discrimination

This group of women have suffered lifelong discrimination. Some were forced to resign when they married or were pregnant; financial discrimination meant that many were unable to enter into a home mortgage until the 1970’s; age discrimination means that older people find it difficult to find employment.

The Mercy Foundation has funded a number of studies on the matter of older women and housing and poverty. These are available via this link.