Study Reveals Widespread Housing Inequality in Tunisia
A joint research note by the Office de l'urbanisme Foundation and the Association Intersection for Rights and Liberties has shed light on the housing inequality faced by women in Tunisia. The study, titled "Cities as Producers of Inequality: The Wage Gap between Men and Women and its Impact on Women's Access to Adequate Housing," examines the structural relationship between economic inequalities in the labor market and the realization of the right to adequate housing in the Egyptian and Tunisian contexts.
Key Findings for Tunisia
According to the study, the participation rate of Tunisian women in the active population is 55.48%, compared to 72.87% for men. The overall wage gap stands at 10.4% in favor of men, with a monthly average geometric salary of 643.3 dinars for men and 582.7 dinars for women. Approximately 13.9% of this wage gap remains unexplained by factors such as education level or experience and is attributed to gender-based discrimination. This discrimination is particularly pronounced in the public sector.
Housing Market Trends
In parallel, housing prices have skyrocketed. The housing and services price index reached a historic high of 163.90 points in December 2025, up from 97.70 points in January 2015. The index for residential apartments rose from 160.7 points in the second quarter of 2022 to 178.5 points in the first quarter of 2024, while the index for individual houses increased from 151.7 to 175.1 points over the same period. Land prices have exceeded 180 points in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Impact on Women's Housing Capacity
The combination of these wage gaps and rising housing costs translates to a relative capacity of women to bear housing expenses that represents only 90.6% of that of men.
Recommendations
In light of these findings, the study recommends adopting a rights-based approach linking economic justice and the right to adequate housing. It suggests strengthening mechanisms for controlling equal pay and reducing the precariousness of women's employment contracts. The study also calls for adapting housing policies, social housing programs, and mortgage financing to the income disparities related to gender, establishing alternative credit evaluation mechanisms, and relaxing guarantee conditions that often exclude women.
Additional Recommendations
The study emphasizes the need to protect tenants and female household heads from arbitrary evictions, connect housing programs to efficient urban transportation networks, develop government databases segmented by sex, and harmonize national legislation with international commitments on inclusive urbanism.
Conclusion
By combining employment data, housing indices, and analysis of salary discrimination, the study highlights a structural mechanism: gender inequalities in the labor market translate to a reduced capacity of women to access adequate housing in Tunisia. The recommendations call for coordinated action, combining salary policy, mortgage credit reform, and social protection.
