Womenface discrimination in many aspects of housing because they are women, orbecause of other factors such as poverty, age, class, sexual orientation or ethnicity.

Numerous human rights mechanisms have over the years drawn attention to the effects of gender inequality and discrimination on women’s enjoyment of the right to adequate housing.

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Inadequate housing conditions have specific and wide ramifications for women as they tend to spend more time at home than men. “Home” is a place where women interact socially and where many of them work. It is also where they care for their children. A home provides women a secure place to live, ensuring privacy and protection against harassment or attacks. Conversely, women living on the streets become much more vulnerable to violence and sexual assaults.

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States parties should establish housing subsidies for those unable to obtain affordable housing. In so doing, they must ensure that subsidies are allocated in a non-discriminatory manner and that priority is given to women in need.

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Tenants should be protected against unreasonable rent levels and increases in rent by appropriate means. To this end, States parties must ensure that landlords who solicit sexual “favours” from female tenants are subject to criminal sanctions and that there is a safe means for the women to report and deal with such incidents.

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Vulnerable women brings to the forefront the impact of multiple discrimination on them, asa result of their gender, race, caste, ethnicity, age and other factors, but in many cases, also as a result of their relative impoverishment and lack of access to social and economic resources.

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