Whangārei woman Kate recently became a solo homeowner, after her relationship ended.
While being able to keep her family home has given her some stability, it's come at a financial cost.
"I honestly don't know how I would do it without a decent job," she said. "If I had career breaks I would have had to sell up.
"Now I have to work harder ... I think it would be hard for lots of females."
She said she had been lucky that she made extra repayments on the mortgage earlier on, which meant she could structure her loan in a way that made it more manageable now.
"Just means less clothes for me. And being more conscious. But lucky I am financially literate."
Data shows that as a millennial, she's in a minority.
Women - and particularly younger women - are being left behind in the property market, a situation that could exacerbate wealth gaps over time.
Cotality has released its latest Women and Property report that shows, while both men and women value home ownership, there is a gender gap when it comes to ownership rates.
More than half of Gen Z males (those born from 1997-2012) and 66 percent of Millennial males (those born from 1981-1996) own the home they live in.
But only 33 percent of Gen Z females and 37 percent of Millennial females can say the same.
There is also a disparity among investors. Twenty percent of Gen Z men own investment properties and 15 percent of Millennial men, compared to 13 percent and 9 percent for women, respectively.
That is despite 62 percent of women saying property ownership was very important, compared to 54 percent of men.
Cotality chief property economist Kelvin Davidson said respondents pointed out various reasons for the different outcomes. "Certainly, look at incomes. We know there's a wage gap in New Zealand. When you look at the proportion of women earning over $100,000… it's quite a bit lower than males."
A quarter of men told the survey they earned at least $100,000 a year, compared to 12 percent of women.
That would affect women's ability to save deposits as well as pay mortgages, Davidson said.
Her said there also seemed to be a gap in the understanding of the home buying process. "In some cases that actually put females off even bothering."
In total, 16 percent of New Zealand women said they had not bought a property yet because they did not know where to start. Only 6 percent of males said the same.
"There's some potential policy implications here in terms of trying to fix the wage gap, and also looking at education initiatives perhaps pushing accounting or economics or finance in terms of education pathways," Davidson said. "Earlier ownership is going to be associated with more stability, more security and greater options later in life."
"Women clearly want to own property - in fact, more women than men rate property ownership as highly important.
"The challenge isn't motivation, it's knowledge, equity and support.
"The system often assumes a level of confidence, capital and experience that many women simply haven't had equal opportunity to build."
He said the most common method of ownership overall was co-ownership.
"Property is still a priority but it comes down to other factors, monetary and non-monetary."
Cotality chief commercial officer Lisa Jennings said early entry to the property market gave people more time for their wealth to accumulate.
"And a gateway to more options later, as well as the tenure benefits from owning a property. This is a concern for younger females, who don't own property as frequently as males.
"Building a deep understanding and specific gender knowledge of tomorrow's property buyer is critical in addressing these disparities between males and females. It's about strengthening communities and the resilience of New Zealand's property market."
Nearly two thirds of respondents to the survey said they had made changes to improve the energy efficiency or sustainability of their homes.
Of those who have made changes, just over half have made minor or low-cost updates such as LED lighting or draught-proofing, while just under half had made significant upgrades like solar panels/batteries, double glazing, or insulation.
Women were more likely to prioritise stability, security and long-term liveability in property decisions.
