Gendered Housing Inequalities: A Co-Living Perspective

Gendered Housing Inequalities: A Co-Living Perspective | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Gendered Housing Inequalities: A Co-Living Perspective Chuyi Xiong, Ka Leung, Ka Cheung This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5942586/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Gender inequalities in housing affordability remain a persistent and pervasive issue in urban environments, yet their manifestations in modern housing arrangements, such as co-living, remain underexplored. This study investigates the nuanced ways in which gender intersects with housing affordability in New Zealand’s co-living rental market, revealing how systemic disparities manifest in this innovative yet understudied housing typology. Analysing 4,378 rental listings, we uncover that women consistently face higher rental costs for comparable properties—a phenomenon rooted in broader socio-economic dynamics rather than overt bias. Our findings suggest that these disparities are shaped by transaction costs linked to safety, privacy, and perceived management complexities, which landlords embed in pricing strategies. Through an economic modelling framework, we show how these market mechanisms inadvertently amplify gendered inequalities, reinforcing barriers to equitable access. Co-living offers a unique lens to examine these inequalities, acting as both a reflection of and a response to systemic challenges in urban housing markets. By contextualising gender-specific pricing within broader housing and affordability policies, this research offers critical insights for fostering inclusive rental markets. Addressing these hidden costs is essential to reshaping housing systems and ensuring equitable access to secure, affordable urban living for all. JEL Classifications: R31, J16, Humanities/Complex networks Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Society Business and commerce/Economics Scientific community and society/Developing world Social science/Geography Co-living Gender Pricing Pink Tax Rental Market Statistical Discrimination Fear of Crim Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5942586","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":424116775,"identity":"e7aedfa5-1e95-4bcc-bd41-dd8466875c8f","order_by":0,"name":"Chuyi Xiong","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABCUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxgYGiQoJOSCLmeEBmAtEBLVYnLEwBmtJIE4LEFS2VCQ2ILQQAPwzkhsf3GyQSO+fkfzYIKHmjuyG280NDD9qGPLkcWiWOHOw2XDmDoncGTfSjBMSjj0z3nDnYANjzzGGYlz2GbA3tklLnpHIbbiRw3wgge1w4oYbQEfyNjAkNuNwmAEzY5v03zaJdHmwln8QLYx/gVracGkB2iIh2SaRYADUkpDYBtHCDLKlB4cWkF8MJM5IGG4888zYILHvsPFMoJbDMsckEmfgDLH0hw8kKurk5Y4nP5b48O2wbN+N9IcP39TYJM7H4X3s4ADQelLUj4JRMApGwShAAwAjb2RjxUNRbAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1854-188X","institution":"Three Gorges Finance Co., Ltd","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chuyi","middleName":"","lastName":"Xiong","suffix":""},{"id":424116776,"identity":"ed70de75-785a-4b71-96a8-501950b40a0d","order_by":1,"name":"Ka Leung","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Saint Francis University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ka","middleName":"","lastName":"Leung","suffix":""},{"id":424116777,"identity":"925f0e58-c5fa-4dec-a76d-e71d7618d9da","order_by":2,"name":"Ka Cheung","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Auckland","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ka","middleName":"","lastName":"Cheung","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-02-01 15:50:18","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5942586/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5942586/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":96710566,"identity":"79bc606b-3089-4117-aa99-e52358b114cd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-25 10:10:55","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":390376,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5942586/v1_covered_4c9eef1e-cb5a-4781-a85d-ec5cb272fd12.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Gendered Housing Inequalities: A Co-Living Perspective","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Co-living, Gender Pricing, Pink Tax, Rental Market, Statistical Discrimination, Fear of Crim","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5942586/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5942586/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eGender inequalities in housing affordability remain a persistent and pervasive issue in urban environments, yet their manifestations in modern housing arrangements, such as co-living, remain underexplored. 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