Pew Research Center Finds No Gender Wealth Gap Between Unmarried Men and Unmarried Women Without Children

According to a new report from Pew Research Center, single women without children , on average, have a smilar level of wealth as single men.

Overall, there is a large gender wealth gap between unmarried men and unmarried women. In 2022, unmarried men had a median wealth of $82,100, compared to $58,100 for unmarried women. However, this gap is largely attributed to the average wealth of single mothers, which is an alarming $10,700. In comparison, unmarried women without children have a median wealth of $87,200. The study could not report on the differences between single men with and without children due to the significantly small number of single-father households in the United States.

The report found similar results among single men and women’s home ownership, home equity, retirement account ownership, and retirement savings. Roughly 47 percent of single men own their home, compared to 50 percent of single women without children and 34 percent of single mothers. Single women homeowners without children have an average home value of $165,000, compared to an average value of $150,000 for homes owned by unmarried men. Single men were slightly more likely to own a retirement account, as well as have more money saved in those accounts than unmarried women without children.

The study does caution that a large reason for these findings among unmarried adults could be explained by age. On average, unmarried women without children are older than unmarried men, at an average age of 61 and 50, respectively. When comparing the wealth gap of single adults under the age of 65, men have a median wealth of $59,400, compared to $38,900 among women without children. Among those who are over 65, unmarried men have an average wealth of $218,900, while unmarried women without children have a median wealth of $173,500.