A Study on Gender Difference of Housing Costs: Focusing on Single-Person Household

Abstract

In terms of housing selection, women prefer to live in a house that is comfortable, convenient, and safe from crimes despite their lower income compared to men. Considering this, the housing cost of single-woman households may be higher than that of single-man households. This study estimated and compared the user costs and rental fees as the self-resident cost, using the hedonic price model for housing in single-woman and single-man households. As a result, it was found that the user cost of single-woman households is approximately 20,000 won higher than that of single-man households while the user cost per area (m2) of single-woman households is approximately 3,000 won higher than that of single-man households. Based on the age and gender analysis of the user cost per area (m2), the housing cost ratio of single-woman households is higher than that of single-man households. In the case of rental fee per area (m2), the housing cost ratio of single-woman households is 1.0 or higher than that of single-man households in the 20s, 30s, and 40s age groups. In conclusion, the housing cost ratio of single-woman households is 1.0 or higher than that of single-man households in terms of user cost and rental fee. As a result, single-woman households pay a higher housing cost than single-man households, but this ratio decreases as the age increases.