The latest Urban Money report, Women and Housing Finance in India: Progress, Barriers and the Opportunity, highlights a critical gap between women’s property ownership aspirations and their actual access to housing credit. While financial participation among women has grown steadily, the report reveals that women and housing finance in India still reflect deep structural imbalances that limit their access to home loans and asset ownership.
According to the Urban Money report, women accounted for only 11% of the 56,523 home loans approved in 2025 across 13 major housing markets. This highlights a persistent gender gap in housing finance, especially considering that women make up nearly half of India’s population and account for about 30% of residential property registrations. Additionally, nearly 75% of women consider real estate their preferred asset class, indicating strong ownership intent despite limited access to financing.
The disparity is also visible in loan sizes. The average home loan ticket size for women was INR 23 lakh, compared to INR 29 lakh for men. This indicates lower borrowing capacity and reduced access among women borrowers in real estate India, even as demand continues to grow.
Women’s home loan participation in India remains limited due to structural factors
The Urban Money report highlights that low women’s participation in home loans in India is closely linked to workforce disparities. Women account for only 28% of the corporate workforce and just 8% of CEO-level roles, directly impacting income stability and credit eligibility. These factors contribute to a lower women’s home loan approval rate, making it harder for women to access housing finance independently.
City-level trends reveal uneven progress across different regions. In Gurugram and Noida, the average loan sizes for women were higher than for men, reaching INR 64.5 lakh and INR 32.1 lakh, respectively. This often results from joint ownership or tax optimisation strategies. Conversely, Chennai reported the lowest average loan size at INR 12.7 lakh, while Thane exhibited the most balanced levels of participation among borrowers.
Credit barriers continue to affect women’s property ownership in India
The Urban Money report highlights key reasons women face home loan rejections: insufficient income, unstable job history, low credit scores, and limited credit history. These issues slow the growth of women’s property ownership in India, despite supportive policies like lower stamp duty and preferential interest rates.
There is a clear opportunity to improve this situation. Boosting financial literacy, enhancing credit access, and promoting independent ownership can help close the gender gap in property ownership. Increased access to housing finance for women will enhance financial inclusion and drive long-term wealth creation in India’s housing market.
Explore the full findings below in our report:
