With many people investing in properties, women are not being left behind. They are even securing financed properties independently.
Image: Itumeleng English
A growing number of South African women are able to finance their new homes, with more doing it on their own.
According to Standard Bank’s Home Loans data, women have consistently made up 70% of all home loan clients in the past decade, whether as joint or sole applicants. However, in a noteworthy shift, nearly 40% of all main applicants for home loans today are women-up from just 37.9% in 2015.
The independence with which women are now entering the property market was even more compelling. In the past two years, 66% of female main applicants bought homes without a co-applicant, thereby signalling a shift in the housing market.
“Women have always featured strongly in our home loans book, but the past two years clearly show growing confidence and empowerment to take the lead in achieving their home ownership goals,” said Toni Anderson, head of home services at Standard Bank.
The average price of the properties purchased by female main applicants has increased by 48.2% from R800 000 in 2015 to R1.3 million in 2025. This is supported by the 74.3% growth seen in the average gross income for female main applicants over the last 10 years, whose average income grew from R38 000 in 2015 to R67 000 in 2025.
While women of all ages are said to be entering the market, 74% of female main applicants are under the age of 45, pointing to younger women increasingly investing in long-term assets.
Female asset ownership is rising beyond property. In Standard Bank’s Vehicle and Asset Finance (VAF) division, women’s share of the client base grew from 38.5% in June 2015 to 43.9% in June 2025.
Those aged 31 to 45 accounted for nearly half of female sales in June 2025. Notably, while still a small group, young female buyers increased sharply, from just 0.002% in 2015 to 0.59% in 2025.
However, women continued to spend less on cars than men. A decade ago, the average car purchase price among women was 18% lower than that of men. In 2025, their average spend of R334 914 was 6.5% lower than the R356 972 average spent by men.
In Standard Bank’s case, this growing trend of women financing assets was said to be driven by the bank’s initiatives to support and encourage asset ownership in the country, from financing upfront costs for first-time homebuyers to allowing its clients to add and even re-spread their balloon payments if they need to.
“It’s clear that more women are actively participating in the economy and making long-term financial decisions. And Standard Bank is here to support them by financing their dreams,” says Anderson.
Short-term insurance data also showed a shift, with women increasingly leading in risk management.
Drawing on extensive data from the past five years, Standard Insurance Limited's claims data reveal that women now file 51.1% of claims in this age group. Women also dominate claims submissions among those who are divorced, accounting for 64.4% of claims, while men represent just 35.6%.
This trend is especially pronounced among women aged 34 to 44, and those who are unmarried or divorced, challenging long-held stereotypes about financial decision-making in households.
This shift is a powerful reflection of changing consumer behaviour and dispels the long-held stereotype that men are the primary protectors and financial decision-makers in a household, says Dr Hardy Ncube, head of personal products at Standard Insurance Limited.
“Our data challenges the traditional narrative, showing that women are not only actively engaged but may even surpass men in certain policyholder demographics,” Ncube said.
South Africa is seeing a clear and steady shift in ownership patterns as more South African women take on property purchases, reflecting both growing financial independence and confidence in property as a long-term investment.
"It’s an encouraging sign of transformation in the real estate sector,” said Hayley Ivins-Downes, managing executive of Real Estate at Lightstone, earlier this week.
The proportion of homes owned by women as sole buyers-as opposed to men or mixed couple buyers-has increased from 30% in 2014 to 39% in 2025, while mixed couple ownership declined from 39% to 30%.
“Single female buyers” refers to women who are the sole registered owners of the property, regardless of their marital or relationship status.
As a result, properties owned solely by women or jointly by women and men account for 69% of all ownership, while properties owned solely by men remain static at 31%.
Earlier this year, FNB told this publication that in 2024, its demographic data showed that of its total home finance applicants, females were at 40% compared to males at 60%.