The gender house price affordability gap - where are women worst off when looking to buy?

The analysis looked at the average house price affordability ratio based on current market values and the average gross annual income for both male and female homebuyers.

The research shows that with an annual gross income of £38,061, the average British man requires 7.3 times their annual salary in order to cover the current average property price of £278,120.

In contrast, the average British woman requires 11.1 times her average annual income of £25,154 to cover the same property cost.

By region

London is predictably home to the largest gender house price affordability gap. The average man would require 10.3 times their current annual gross earnings to cover the cost of a London property (£521,146), while for a woman this climbs to 15.6 - a gap of 5.3 years.

The South East (5.2), South West (5.1) and East of England (5) are also home to a gender house price affordability gap of five times annual salary or more.

Even in the North East where this gap is at its smallest, the average woman still requires almost two years (1.8) additional earnings to cover the cost of a property.

Worst areas to be a woman homebuyer

When it comes to the worst pockets of the property market to be a woman, Kensington and Chelsea ranks top. While the average man in the borough requires a hefty 12.7 times their average annual earnings to cover the current cost of a Kensington property, this climbs to a huge 36.6 times annual earnings for the average woman - a gap of 23.9.

Rother (10.5), Mole Valley (10.2), Rutland (9.8) and Camden (9.3) also rank amongst the worst property markets for women homebuyers.

Best areas to be a woman homebuyer

However, there are a number of areas where gender property purchasing power sits on a relatively level playing field.

In Inverclyde the average woman earns £24,619 versus an annual gross income of £27,542 for the average man. This means that the average woman needs 5 years annual income to cover the average cost of a property, while the average man needs 4.5 years - a gap of just half a year.

Across both Rushmoor and Blackpool, the gender house price affordability gap also sits below a year's earnings (0.9).

In Copeland, Anglesey, Tunbridge Wells and Falkirk, the average woman requires just one additional year of income to cover the cost of a property when compared to the average man.

Athena Hubble, managing director of Boomin, said: “Fortunately I’ve been able to purchase properties but there are so many women out there who struggle to get on the property ladder.

"The gender pay gap is a significant mismatch that women are reminded of every time they receive their monthly payslip, and it stretches beyond the workplace into other areas of life.

"Our purchasing power within the property market is certainly one of those areas, and the disparity in pay between men and women has a huge influence on what we are able to borrow. As a result, many women are priced out of homeownership unless they accept that the only path in achieving it is with a significant other.”