Britain's lesbian, gay and bisexual population experience inequalities in accessing housing, according to a study led by the University of Stirling.
The analysis of almost a decade of data from British households - thought to be the first of its kind in the UK - found that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people in Britain have poorer housing outcomes than their heterosexual counterparts.
LGB people are less likely to own their own home, more likely to rent in the private rented sector, and more likely to be social renters than their heterosexual counterparts, according to the study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Researchers say their findings have implications for housing and social policies in the UK, which they claim are "designed around the heterosexual nuclear family". If the inequalities persist, Britain's housing crisis could intensify for LGB people as this population ages, say the report’s authors.
Social scientists from the University of Stirling, the University of Nottingham and Sheffield Hallam University analysed survey responses from around 10,000 households across England, Scotland and Wales over nine years, using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey (UKHLS), known as Understanding Society.
The study showed the widest disparities in homeownership among gay men, with 73% of heterosexual men found to be owner-occupiers, compared to 63% of gay men. Around half (51%) of bisexual women, 66% of bisexual men and 68% of lesbian women were owner-occupiers, compared to 70% of heterosexual women, the research found.
The widest disparities came in socially rented housing: 20% of lesbian women, 26% of bisexual women, 17% of gay men and 15% of bisexual men were in socially rented accommodation, compared to 11% of heterosexual women and 12% of heterosexual men, according to the findings.
Sixteen per cent of heterosexual men and 19% of heterosexual women rented privately, compared to 21% of gay men, 19% of bisexual men, 23% of bisexual women and 12% of lesbian women.
The report found that not only are LGB people less likely to be homeowners, those LGB people who have children or are part of a couple - married or co-habiting - are statistically significantly less likely to own a home than their heterosexual counterparts.
Professor of Social Policy and LGBTQ+ Studies, University of Stirling
Housing policy in the UK is designed around the heterosexual nuclear family. Our findings clearly show that lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Great Britain are disadvantaged when it comes to home ownership.
Many of these differences between heterosexuals and LGB people were still there after the data analysis took into account that the LGB population is, on average, younger, and that many LGB people live in London and the south east of England.
Having a partner had a stronger positive effect on a person's house value if they were LGB than if they were heterosexual, the study found.
Peter Matthews, co-author and Professor of Social Policy and LGBTQ+ Studies at the University of Stirling, said the inequalities were a result of past discrimination against gay men and against women, as well as the fact that the gay male and bisexual population in Britain tend to earn less than their heterosexual counterparts.
Professor Matthews said: "Housing policy in the UK is designed around the heterosexual nuclear family. Our findings clearly show that lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Great Britain are disadvantaged when it comes to home ownership.
“These inequalities are likely a direct result of three things: gay and bisexual men being refused mortgages and life insurance in the 1980s and 1990s because of stigma with HIV/AIDS; the long-term rule for a male signatory on a mortgage application, which excluded all women from homeownership; and, more recently, the fact that gay men and bisexuals are earning less.”
Professor Matthews added: “Some in the LGB community are more impacted than others - those with children or who are either married or co-habiting are statistically significantly less likely to be homeowners than their heterosexual counterparts, for example.
"And because the LGB population is younger, we are storing up problems for the future, when this population ages and will not have the same levels of wealth and housing assets as their heterosexual counterparts to support them in later life."
Understanding Society is an initiative funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and various Government departments, with scientific leadership by the Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, and survey delivery by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and Verian (formerly Kantar Public). The research data are distributed by the UK Data Service.
Lesbians, gays and bisexuals asset-based welfare and housing in Great Britain is published in Social Policy and Society, a journal published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Social Policy Association.
Housing tenure profile of each sexual identity
| Sexual identity | Owner occupation | Privately rented | Socially rented | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heterosexual man | 73% | 16% | 12% | 100% |
| Heterosexual woman | 70% | 19% | 11% | 100% |
| Gay man | 63% | 21% | 17% | 100% |
| Lesbian woman | 68% | 12% | 20% | 100% |
| Bisexual man | 66% | 19% | 15% | 100% |
| Bisexual woman | 51% | 23% | 26% | 100% |
Proportion of each group living in each tenure in Great Britain (UK Household Longitudinal Survey, using multiple records per-person from 2011-2020). special licence access version of UKHLS. UK Data Service. SN: 6931. When we control for age, education level, gender, and whether someone lives in London and the south east, and also look at house value, the following patterns remain: 1. Lesbians, gays and bisexuals are more likely to live in privately rented or socially rented housing; 2. Gay men are more likely to live in homes worth more than £250,000; 3. Lesbians are less likely to live in homes worth more than £250,000.