March 7, 2026 |
International Women’s Day 2026: Women account for just 11% of home loan market, lead only in Gurugram and Noida
Despite rising financial participation and strong homeownership aspirations, women remain markedly underrepresented in India’s housing finance market, accounting for only 11% of the 56,523 home loans sanctioned in 2025 across 13 major cities tracked by Urban Money; notably, women out-borrow men in just two markets, Gurugram ( ₹64.5 lakh vs ₹57.8 lakh) and Noida ( ₹32.1 lakh vs ₹29.4 lakh).
The report titled ‘Women and Housing Finance in India: Progress, Barriers and the Opportunity,’ finds that women accounted for just 11% of the 56,523 home loans approved in 2025 across 13 major housing markets tracked on the Urban Money platform, the fintech mortgage subsidiary of Square Yards.
These markets include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Noida, Pune and Thane
Women out-borrow men in only two markets: Gurugram: ₹64.5 lakh (women) vs ₹57.8 lakh (men), and Noida: ₹32.1 lakh (women) vs ₹29.4 lakh (men). These patterns are likely linked to joint ownership structures and tax or stamp duty optimisation strategies in premium markets. Chennai recorded the lowest average loan size for women at ₹12.7 lakh, indicating pronounced disparity, while Thane emerged as the most balanced market in terms of average ticket sizes, the report said.
The gap is particularly striking considering that women constitute nearly half of India’s population and account for roughly 30% of residential property registrations in 2025, it said.
Industry surveys also indicate that 75% of women identify real estate as their preferred asset class, highlighting a clear disconnect between ownership intent and access to credit. The disparity extends to loan size. The average home loan ticket for women stands at ₹23 lakh, compared with ₹29 lakh for men, reflecting lower borrowing capacity and structural income constraints.
“India has made significant progress in women’s socio‑economic participation. Today, more women attain higher education, join the workforce, launch businesses and engage with formal financial instruments such as mutual funds, insurance and retirement plans. However, this progress has not fully translated into access to housing finance and property ownership,” said Kanika Gupta Shori, COO and co-founder, Square Yards.
“Women represent one of the most important untapped segments in India’s housing finance ecosystem. Improving their access to home loans is critical not only for financial inclusion but also for enabling long-term wealth creation and economic empowerment,” she said.
Structural barriers limiting participation
Released ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8), the report attributes the imbalance to deeper socioeconomic factors that influence credit eligibility well before the loan application stage.
Women represent 28% of the corporate workforce, with participation thinning at senior levels and falling to just 8% at the CEO level. Income asymmetry, non-linear career paths and employment volatility directly affect documented repayment capacity, a key determinant in home loan underwriting. The most cited reasons for loan rejections for women applicants include insufficient income, unstable employment history, low credit score, and lack of credit history, the report noted.
Commenting on the report, Amit Prakash Singh, co-founder and CBO at Urban Money, said, “The opportunity lies in going beyond surface-level incentives and introducing measures that improve credit eligibility itself. Enabling stronger, independent credit participation among women can expand both financial inclusion and the housing finance market.”
The findings highlight a persistent gap between women’s rising economic participation and their actual access to housing finance. As property ownership continues to be a key pillar of long-term wealth creation in India, bridging this divide will remain central to building a more inclusive housing market.
Source – Hindustan Times
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