Tunisia, Egypt wage gaps deepen women’s housing crisis, study finds

TUNIS – A new joint study by Tunisian rights group Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms (IARF) and urban research institution Diwan Al Omran has warned that widening wage inequality between men and women in Tunisia and Egypt is undermining women’s access to adequate housing and increasing their exposure to economic and social vulnerability.

The research paper, titled “Cities as a Factor in the Production of Inequality: The Wage Gap Between Women and Men and Its Impact on Women’s Access to Adequate Housing in Tunisia and Egypt,” examines how labour market discrimination directly affects women’s housing conditions and long-term economic security.

According to the study, the gender pay gap extends far beyond differences in income, becoming a decisive factor in determining whether women can afford housing amid rising property prices, rents and living costs.

The paper found that the wage gap in Tunisia stands at around 10.4 percent in favour of men, while in Egypt it exceeds 20 percent. Researchers said the disparity has a direct impact on women’s ability to secure adequate housing, with women’s housing affordability estimated at 90.6 percent in Tunisia and only 80 percent in Egypt.

The study argues that the housing burden facing women is not limited to rent or ownership costs alone. It also includes mounting expenses linked to transport, utilities and basic services, creating additional financial pressure that increases the risk of housing insecurity and instability.

Researchers said many women are being forced to accept lower-quality accommodation or enter involuntary shared housing arrangements because of financial constraints, while also facing a greater risk of eviction due to an inability to meet rising housing costs.

The paper highlights what it describes as a structural relationship between economic inequality in the labour market and women’s diminished access to one of the most basic social rights: adequate housing.

In Tunisia, the study recommends adopting a comprehensive rights-based approach that directly links economic justice in employment with housing rights. It calls for stronger oversight mechanisms to ensure equal pay, alongside measures aimed at reducing precarious and insecure forms of employment disproportionately affecting women.

The researchers also urged policymakers to redesign housing policies, social housing programmes and mortgage financing systems to better account for gender-based income disparities. Recommendations included introducing alternative credit evaluation mechanisms and easing family or property guarantee requirements that often exclude women from accessing housing finance.

The study further stressed the importance of developing government databases disaggregated by gender to monitor ownership and spending patterns, while aligning national legislation with international commitments to ensure fair and inclusive urban planning.

The findings come as both Tunisia and Egypt continue to grapple with mounting economic pressures, inflation and rising urban living costs, factors that researchers say are deepening existing social inequalities and disproportionately affecting women’s financial independence and living conditions.