According to Lightstone, South African women are increasingly outnumbering men in residential property ownership. Hayley Ivins-Downes, Managing Executive Real Estate at Lightstone, states that female-only buyers now account for 38% of stock owned and co-own another 33% of properties. In comparison, men-only owners represent 29% of all property ownership. This marks a significant shift from a decade ago when mixed-gender couples dominated property purchases, outnumbering both men-only and women-only buyers.

The change became notable in 2016 when women-only buyers surpassed men-only buyers, a trend that has continued as the proportion of men-only buyers remained relatively stable. Despite the increase in female property ownership, women tend to buy properties at lower values. Ivins-Downes highlights that the price gap between properties purchased by women-only buyers and mixed-gender couples has widened since 2020. Women-only buyers are prevalent in the under R750,000 price band but lag behind mixed-gender couples in the R750,000 to R1.5 million price band and are third in the above R1.5 million price band.

Additionally, both women and men are purchasing properties later in life compared to previous years. This trend indicates a broader change in the South African property market, reflecting the growing financial independence of women and their increasing role in property ownership. However, it also underscores the economic challenges women face, as evidenced by their propensity to invest in lower-value properties.