Today’s housing policies and markets are deeply rooted in discriminatory practices and systems negatively impacting women of color, particularly Black women. While homeownership can be a path to gaining wealth, it remains out of reach for many women, particularly women of color, because of racist and sexist policies. Instead, homeownership is overwhelmingly a privilege enjoyed by wealthy white households Policies today still fail to address the deep structural inequalities in housing that impact women and particularly women of color.

Building upon our 2022 publication, The Roots of Discriminatory Housing Policy: Moving Toward Gender Justice in Our Economy, this issue brief expands on and updates homeownership data presented in the2022 report, including historical homeownership rates from 2007 to 2021 and the share of homeowners who spend a majority of their income on housing costs. In addition, the brief provides policy suggestions to center gender and racial justice in housing.