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More than half of mortgage holders who live alone or are single parents experience mortgage stress, Roy Morgan research has shown.
The market research company found that 52.3 per cent of single owner-occupier mortgage holders are at risk of mortgage stress, while 36 per cent are extremely at risk.
The problem affects more women than men.
Around 205,000 single female mortgage holders were at risk of mortgage stress in the year to June 2025, compared to 108,000 single male mortgage holders.
There were also more single women extremely at risk of mortgage stress, 137,000 compared to 74,000 single male mortgage holders.
The gender difference is greatest among younger singles, where the income gap between men and women is wider.
Women with mortgages earn less than men across all age groups, with incomes equal to 82 per cent as much among 18–34-year-olds, 78 per cent among 35–49-year-olds, and 88 per cent among those 50 and over.
Roy Morgan classified those at risk of mortgage stress as those paying 25–45 per cent of their after-tax household income on their home loan, based on the RBA’s standard variable rate and the amount they initially borrowed.
Reflecting on the gender gap in mortgage stress, Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said: “There are twice as many women living alone, or as single parents, with a mortgage than men, and these women are more likely to be either at risk, or extremely at risk, of mortgage stress – across all age groups including 18–34, 35–49 and 50 and over.”
The latest Roy Morgan Single Source survey was compiled from interviews with more than 60,000 Australians over the year.
The research comes as property prices hit new highs across several capital cities, rising at their fastest pace in four years.
[Related: House price growth nears 4-year high]
