By Pierre Bruton (BSc Economics) and Emiliya Lazarova
Introduction
Women make up the majority of those in social housing. This is something the Women’s Budget Group (WBG) highlighted in their 2018 report, Housing and Gender. Since then, COVID-19 has spread globally but its impact across industries, ethnicities, ages and genders have been felt very differently.
Early evidence suggests that the pandemic has hit women harder in the job market – particularly those on low incomes. This makes the key points of the WBG report even more important. Moreover, lone parents are likely to lower their working hours with children being at home since the lockdown. A reduction in the household’s only income means that a surge in demand for social housing seems inevitable.
With this blog, we are aiming to raise awareness of the threat facing women and lone parents. As schools reopen in September, there is urgent need for social housing. However, the rise in demand could vary across different local authorities. Having collected data from different localities, we will look at why this is the case as well as the reasons for which women and lone parents have been the most negatively impacted by COVID-19.
The COVID-19 impact on industries:
When Boris Johnson appeared on our televisions to announce lockdown measures, many were forced to stop working whilst some were able to continue from home. Even with lockdown easing in many areas, some are still limited in the amount of business they can do.
Those working in banking, finance & insurance have managed to work from home with little financial impact. In comparison, in the public admin, education & health industry, many have been badly hit following a reshuffle due to new precautions (ONS, 2020). If the social distancing era lasts a prolonged period, those who worked closely with consumers may be left unemployed.
As we show in the table above, there is substantial variation between the most common industry’s worked across local authorities and in the percentage of the population working in these industries.
In Kensington & Chelsea and Richmond upon Thames, most of the working population works in an industry which won’t face as many struggles during the pandemic. So, fewer workers will experience a drop in income and these local authorities may experience less strain on social housing demand.
On the other hand, we see that in areas such as Sutton and Great Yarmouth many work in public admin, education & health. With COVID-19 seriously disrupting these sectors, employees may be impacted. Therefore, these areas could face higher levels of unemployment. With people struggling to pay regular bills, there could be a more significant rise in social housing demand in these areas once the eviction ban ends, leaving many in need.
With COVID-19 affecting industries differently, we may see a widening of gender inequality.
Gender within industry:
We can see that proportionally more females work in industries which have been worst hit by the pandemic. Whilst only 44% of those in banking, finance and industry are female, the adversely affected public admin, education & health industry have a predominantly female population.
Combining regional data and industry evidence, we see that the gender employment gap may be a worsening issue in certain areas. As many government support schemes such as the furlough scheme are being winded down, evidence highlights that women, and especially those with children, are already experiencing a drop in working hours. Therefore, women are likely to be working less and receiving a lower income. For lone parents without the support of another income earner in the household, this is a pressing issue.
Lone parents in local authorities:
A greater proportion of lone parents rent in social housing compared to the private alternative. 86% of these households are headed by single mothers. Therefore, the COVID-19 impact on women could be problematic for local authorities with many lone parents.
Having collected data from local authorities, we can see that out of low-income families, the percentage of children with lone parents in London is generally higher than in Norfolk. Richmond upon Thames has very few lone parents. With many also working in an industry that has not struggled so much throughout this period, there may be less added pressure on social housing. However, in Barking & Dagenham, there are many lone parents. We have already seen that a large proportion of the population work in a struggling industry. As a result, many will struggle financially, and social housing demand may rise significantly.
In Norfolk, there is again variety across local authorities. Great Yarmouth has a much higher percentage of children in low-income families living with a lone parent compared to Broadland. With many lone parents working in a struggling industry in Great Yarmouth, social housing demand may increase disproportionately relative to the available supply, leaving many vulnerable.
Lone parents will usually demand one- or two-bedroom houses as they won’t be able to afford rent for larger houses. Consequently, we can see that demand for social housing will vary across local authorities. Yet, some are better prepared to face this rise in demand than others.
Local authority stock:
In the past three years, we have collected data on the stock of social housing in local authorities as well as the average wait time applicants face before receiving housing.
Sutton is an area where many work in a struggling, predominately female industry. As a result, many lone mothers will demand small social housing in this area. However, the stock the local authority has doesn’t match this demand. Therefore, many will be waiting for these houses, putting demand-side pressure on the market. If the allocation period is slow, they could experience a COVID backlog.
In Lewisham, the average waiting time for social housing is 69.7 weeks for urgent bracket applicants and 129.4 weeks for those in lower need. With the speed and harsh impact of COVID-19, the number of applicants could rise quickly, worsening the issue of excess demand.
In Great Yarmouth, there is higher stock of smaller social houses than demand. Could single mothers from Sutton move?
Other important aspects:
With children going back to school in September, families will be tied to a locality. Due to the slow application process and the rigid registration standards, moving is not an option, despite the urgency of this situation. Many local authorities state that residents must have lived in the region for a long period of time before applying for social housing.
When the government introduced lockdown measures, home was assumed a safe place. Yet, with people staying at home along with the added pressure of the environment, it is no surprise that domestic abuse cases are rising. Domestic abuse charity, Refuge, have since reported a 700% increase in traffic on the website in a single day during lockdown.
This growing issue is clear in the data from Kensington & Chelsea, where the third most common reason for the homeless leaving their previous households is violence, harassment or abuse. These victims will be in urgent need of social housing. Local authorities must acknowledge that this data is under-reported and work to provide support for these people.
Conclusion
COVID-19 has had a big impact on female-dominated industries and with children at home requiring attention, women and lone parents have been faced with the greatest struggles.
Local authorities with a high proportion of single parents and people working in struggling industries will be the most strongly impacted, facing a large rise in demand for social housing. They will have to target those in need to appropriate housing and reduce the period it takes for the application process to pass.
If the government allow flexibility within their policies, permitting local authorities to work to their needs, we will see efficient housing allocation suitable to the demand of their population. This means that policies such as ‘Build, Build, Build’ may provide more appropriate support for each locality in the long run, but targeted measure are needed here and now.
In this climate, we need to be aware that women may be more negatively impacted by the consequences of COVID-19. If left unaddressed, gender inequality is set to worsen significantly. Providing suitable and flexible social housing is an urgent requirement now.
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