Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC) governments are meeting the challenge of
providing affordable housing for low- and average-income nationals through
some bold initiatives and strategies. But women still face discrimination
under most GCC regulations for getting land, housing or interest-free
construction loans.
Although international conventions recognize the right of all human beings
to equal access to land and housing, including women and those living in
poverty, women in the GCC countries still face legal and social
discrimination in their access to housing, as they are not granted the same
rights as men to the affordable housing services provided by their
governments. Gender discrepancies are emanating from the patriarchal system
favoring men over women and giving priority to adult males in housing
distribution. Some GCC governments have acknowledged the problem and issued
new legislative and administrative reforms to improve the access of poor,
divorced and widowed women to affordable housing, but these measures don't
go far enough.
The Bahrain Ministry of Housing does not grant women the same rights as men
for getting housing units or receiving loans to purchase housing. Bahraini
women are granted houses from the government only if they are widowed or
divorced with custody of their children. New amendments in 2004 to the
Housing Law granted housing services for working women with stable incomes
supporting their family and with no real estate. However, this only
partially benefits women as they still need their husbands' permission to
request assistance to own a housing unit, which they may not be entitled to
in the case of divorce.
The Kuwaiti Housing Law excludes Kuwaiti women, whether single or
married, from taking advantage of the government's low-interest
housing-loan policy, which is usually provided to Kuwaiti men who are heads
of families. Divorced or widowed women from low-income groups suffer the
most as they lose their claim to homes purchased initially through this
program even if they made previous payments on the loan. Exceptionally,
divorced women with children can claim a rent allowance if they do not
remarry and have no financial support. A Kuwaiti woman married to a
non-citizen cannot by law qualify for a government housing loan program.
The Kuwaiti government has recently made some serious efforts to provide
housing services for Kuwaiti women, especially divorcees, widows, those
married to non-Kuwaitis and unmarried women who have lost both parents. An
agreement was reached in August 2010 between the Cabinet and Parliament's
Women's Affairs Committee to establish a fund of almost $ 1.8 billion for
women's housing. The Public Authority for Housing Welfare issued a new
regulation in July 2011 giving eligible women access to a residential loan
of $ 250,000, increasing the demand for condominium apartments throughout
the country. The Kuwaiti government has constructed special apartment
buildings for divorced women and childless couples but this has led to
their social isolation and marginalization.
Under the old Omani Housing Law, all workingmen over 25 were granted land
to build private housing using a low-interest mortgage. Exceptionally,
divorced women would get a free tract of land. To ensure gender equality
between its citizens, Oman amended its land law in November 2008 by
granting Omani men and women equal rights to own residential land. However,
cultural norms and local traditions are still an obstacle for women to gain
access to housing independently. Housing loans and land-ownership
applications remain discriminatory, giving fewer women the opportunity to
become landowners. In April 2009, the government started allocating land to
Omani women. In June 2011, major changes were introduced to the Housing Law
issued by Royal Decree No. 37/2010 by providing an Omani woman married to a
non-Omani entitlement to housing assistance with her children, as well as
Omani male and female offspring with no breadwinners in the family..
The Housing Law introduced in Qatar in 2007
secured housing services for men and women, expanding the opportunities for
Qatari and non-Qatari women to take advantage of government housing
programs. Qatari women married to foreign nationals residing in the country
for the previous five years can also benefit from government housing, as
well as widows and divorced women with children who have not inherited
homes from their husbands, and unmarried women over 35 years old who
support members of their family.
Those with special needs are also eligible for state housing assistance.
All Qatari government employees, both male and female, are entitled to a
minimum loan of $ 220,000 to buy a plot of land to build a house. The
amount may be raised to $ 330,000. However, there is still discrimination
when applying the law: A man is given priority as he is considered the head
of the household and responsible for providing housing for his wife and
children. The Supreme Council for Family Affairs is currently working with
relevant ministries to secure the rights of women under the housing law.
In Saudi Arabia, not all women have the right to obtain houses or loans
from the government. Under regulations issued by the Real Estate
Development Fund, only men and women of Saudi citizenship are allowed to
take a loan without the condition of owning the land. They should not own a
house now nor have owned one in the past and they should not have
previously taken a loan from the fund. But while the minimum age for receiving
a loan for Saudi men is 21 if married and 24 if single, loans for Saudi
women were available for those over 40 years who have never been married,
women who have been divorced for at least two years, and widows who have
not remarried. Recently, lending conditions were reformed to benefit
unmarried Saudi women who have not reached 40 years as well as married
women who are the sole providers of their family. Exceptions are also made
for male orphans under 21 years and female orphans over 18 years and under
21 years who have not been married.
In the UAE, female nationals were not entitled to government housing
benefits whereas male nationals could access either a house or a piece of
land and money to build a house. In April 2009, the Federal National Council,
in addition to giving Emirati women benefits for equal rights, approved a
housing law allowing Emirati women married to non-Emirati men to receive
government housing benefits, especially if the husband cannot provide a
decent house for them, and even if their children do not have UAE
citizenship. Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum approved in June 2011
new by-laws for the Sheikh Zayed Housing Program, expanding housing
opportunities for Emirati women. Entitlement to housing assistance now
includes widows and divorcees both with children, women without parents,
husbands or family to support them, unmarried women over 30 years whose
parents have died.
In making affordable housing a national priority, GCC governments should
take into consideration the aspirations of both young men and women who are
looking for a brighter and safer future. The implementation of a national
housing strategy in each of the GCC countries is vital. It should integrate
economic, social and gender cultural issues along with physical planning
and development. Housing security is central for women and essential for
their human dignity. This security is particularly important for women
undergoing divorce proceedings when they are likely to lose ownership of
their houses and end up with short-term rental arrangements. This situation
will be worse for divorced women over 50 years with children and without
economic security. But all GCC women with low incomes need access to safe
and affordable housing with strong ties in the community to provide their
support. Planning should include smaller affordable houses built within the
city and not outside in the suburbs in order to prevent their
marginalization.
We need to explore the issue of women and housing in the region in depth.
Gender-disaggregated data on housing supply is urgently required and
gender-based analysis should be implemented in GCC housing policies to
contribute to housing equality. We need to investigate further the needs of
women from lower income groups to improve their status and work toward
creating a safe and stable housing environment. Women themselves should
participate in decision-making to improve their housing situation. Let us
not forget that women constitute half of the population and are essential
to the development of a forward-looking society. That society will progress
only if discriminatory cultural constraints are removed and women are not
just acknowledged to have equal rights with men but also actively given
those rights — in social housing as much as in other basic areas.