Examining Housing Exclusion among Women in Spain (2010-2021)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the violation of the right to housing among women in Spain during the period 2010–2021. A multidimensional analytic framework structured in three areas – economic, physical, and psychosocial – is used to examine the exclusion of women from housing. Women's right to adequate housing and the necessity for more appropriate policies in this regard are recognised at both national and international levels. However, a considerable gap exists between this recognition and reality. The results of the analysis indicate the existence of a gender gap in the fulfilment of the right to housing in Spain. In the economic dimension (unaffordable housing), the statistical evidence regarding the greater difficulties women face in meeting housing costs in Spain is unquestionable. In the physical dimension (inadequate housing), the study corroborates the lower housing conditions of female-headed households. In the psychosocial dimension, on the one hand, the high levels of violence suffered by women in the home imply that for many it no longer performs the essential function of offering a safe haven (unsafe housing) and, on the other hand, women have a greater risk of experiencing housing instability and insecurity (insecure housing). To sum up, in Spain women are more likely to experience housing exclusion than men. To address these inequalities, it is necessary to go beyond the mere political and legal recognition of the right to housing and equality between men and women, and to implement effective policies that substantively narrow the gender gap in housing.