Every year it seems more difficult to buy one house or department in Mexico because they are more expensive and the loans raised their interest rates, but the women they face even more difficulties, agree experts consulted by EL UNIVERSAL.
Discrimination based on gender has caused women to women have less access to formal employmenthave less stable income and are excluded from acquiring a mortgage loan, says Laura Imelda Pérez Segura, deputy for Morena.
Of the 17.4 million homes with deeds in the country, only 7.2 million of the owners are women, stated the legislator in the explanatory statement of an initiative that she presented regarding financial inclusion with a gender perspective. This difference is accentuated in rural areas, according to Inegi.
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Pérez Segura says that, according to the 2022 Annual Housing Report of the Infonavit, the probability that a man lives his own home is 1.2 times greater than in the case of a woman, which makes it necessary to design products to provide a gender perspective in access to credit.
“There is a shortage of adequate housing in the main urban centers of the country, making it difficult to access it, especially for women. Women have less Infonavit funding than men; only 30% of the loans go to the workers,” says Claudia Salcido, owner of the fIrma Salcido Real Estate.
It indicates that the working conditions of women are difficult to be subject to credit, because they tend to earn less, in addition to having fewer weeks of contributions and moderate salary increases.
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Only about 20% have a mortgage loan and are between 30 and 50 years old, since it is very difficult to be less than 30 years old, he points out.
Leonardo González, from Real State de Propiedades.com, points out that there is a wide range of workers in the informal sector, which excludes them from I credits.He called from Fovissste.
real estate shortage
The increase in the cost of housing is one more limitation to acquire a property, both for women and men, exposes Leonardo González.
Prices in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City rebounded 8.6% in the last three years; in Guadalajara, 8%; Querétaro, 5.3% and Monterrey, 5%, according to Inegi data for the first half of February.
Regarding the price of real estate, Salcido warns that the properties are overvalued due to great speculation and unfair competition from intermediaries.
“In Mexico City, properties and land are ridiculously inflated. This is because there are no serious appraisals, they do not depreciate buildings, the owners give estimated values to the properties, ”he explains.
Another element that has limited the purchase of housing is the interest rates of the banks, says Claudia Salcido.
Banxico reports that the average Total Annual Cost (CAT) of mortgage loans was 13.6% in January, but some financing charged 24.8%.
Infonavit and Fovissste are required to play a strategic role in supporting the allocation of credits, especially for women, under more flexible conditions and lower rates that depend on the income level of the workers, says Salcido.
best buyers
Women have been gaining ground in the mortgage market, although their participation is still less than that of men, González mentions.
It stands out that women are better first buyers than men, since they have a more conservative position, they choose to buy in the first instance while men prefer to rent in their first participation in the market.
He acknowledges that the presence of women is limited by their low labor income and lack of access to financing, but considers that they have a more precise monitoring of what is happening in the market.
Women do better budgeting exercises, plan more for the use of resources, the term and the type of organization in a home compared to men.
“There is a gender bias where the housing market is led by the acquisition of men, although women have been gaining ground, especially due to their inclusion in the labor market and achieving greater independence, the formation of single-person homes, the adoption of new housing trends such as coliving, roommates or rent with the option to buy”, adds González.
difficult perspective
Claudia Salcedo estimates that the problem of the housing deficit will continue to worsen, particularly for the lower middle class.
“We don’t have homes worth a million pesos and rents of 5,000 for the lower middle class, which is what is most needed in the cities. If we add to this that prices are highly inflated, then the problem is even more serious”, affirms the expert.
In her opinion, actions are urgently needed to promote equality because even women have limitations to receive inheritances. “The truth is that we have it very complicated.”