#InternationalWomensDay is an opportunity to celebrate women, but it’s also an opportunity to assess our progress towards gender equality - and to reflect on everything we have yet to accomplish.

The theme for this year is #choosetochallenge which is why we're discussing the gender mortgage gap.

A report from the Women’s Budget Group showed that women need over twelve times their annual salaries to be able to buy a home in England, while men - with higher average salaries - need just over eight times.

The gender mortgage gap is a symptom of the gender pay gap. Lower average salaries mean that it takes women longer to save for a deposit and women buying on their own are more likely to fall short of affordability requirements.

For many women the pay gap widens even further as it is compounded by other factors like racism and ableism. This needs to be tackled at a structural level and we've got a long way to go.

For now, we've been sharing resources and communities created by women to help other women take control of and make the most of their money on our instagram stories today: https://www.instagram.com/habitoloveshomes/

This #IWD2021 illustration was created for us by Dani Choi - you can see more of her incredible work here: https://danichoi.com/