Renting a house as a single woman is not just difficult — it’s nearly impossible, thanks to the deeply embedded cultural biases.
For centuries, society has stereotyped women as submissive, humble, and obedient — traits still expected of them today. She is seen as a dependable, submissive, meek human being whose life is based on compromises.
But if it comes to a confident, dominating, authoritative and independent woman, the family and the landlord become alarmed, and they react with discomfort. So, when a single woman tries to rent a flat, it becomes a nightmare. Her independence becomes her first obstacle.
There are several factors which make it challenging, like:
- Discrimination
- Societal biases
- Neighbourhood
- Safety concern
Discrimination:
Landlords may feel that women may not be so financially stable as compared to men in paying rents; they fear renting to women is a financial risk due to presumed issues with payment or handling repairs. Landlords may have reservations about single women’s ability to handle maintenance too. The preconceived stereotype notion of women’s inability to manage repair and maintenance of the house is another reason causing difficulty for a single woman to rent a house.
Societal bias:
Landlords often demand extra documentation or charge higher rent from single women — a clear double standard. So, women face difficulty navigating the rental process, including finding a reliable landlord, negotiating the lease terms, or understanding their rights as renters. Landlords assume that single women are more vulnerable to scams or exploitation, so it’s unsafe to rent a house to them.
Neighbourhood:
Even neighbours can object to keeping a single woman as a renter, the reason being that a single woman living independently won’t be a woman to be described as a stereotype woman. She would be more confident, courageous, self-aware and decisive. As one saying goes, “Behind every strong woman is herself” — but this strength often alarms landlords and neighbours alike.
Safety Concerns:
If we see the other side of the coin, renters can be both – women with good or bad motives. It’s not necessary that the renters have to be independent women from other cities on various jobs or female students, but they can be women associated with any exploitative or illegal activities, including trafficking.
The Case of Sana Yousuf:
The case of Sana Yousuf further illustrates how even blameless women are scrutinised by society. In their judgement, she’s a sinner—and the world makes sure she pays for it.
Conclusion:
To conclude, it is a fact that for a woman who is single, renting a house is a big challenge. Even when innocent, a single woman’s independence is intolerable to our patriarchal society. For centuries, patriarchy has dictated every step a woman takes — deciding what is right or wrong, what can be done or said, and how a woman must behave. It’s time to unlearn this legacy—and let women define their own paths.
