Inés Maderiaga: Without safe housing, women are far more exposed to poverty and violence

"UN-Habitat is an independent advisory body supporting the empowerment of women and the promotion of gender equality across all policy areas, programs, and governance processes. Today, the Public Assembly is dedicated to an extremely important topic — both in terms of relevance and from the standpoint of public policy: women and the housing question. For women, housing means safety, dignity, economic independence, health, and the opportunity for full participation in social life."

As reported by BAKU.WS, this was stated by the head of the UNESCO Chair on Gender Issues in Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor of Urban Planning at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Inés Madariaga, during the Women's Assembly ceremony dedicated to the joint development of gender-transformative strategies for providing adequate housing for all women and girls.

According to her, without safe housing, women are significantly more exposed to the risks of poverty, violence, forced displacement, and isolation:

"Without safe and adequate housing, women are far more vulnerable to the risks of poverty, violence, forced displacement, and isolation. That is why housing is not merely physical shelter.

Around the world — especially in informal settlements, conflict zones, and communities vulnerable to climate change — women continue to face serious inequality in access to housing, property rights, land tenure, affordable housing, infrastructure, and financial opportunities. Nevertheless, it is women who are the key driving force of resilience and recovery. They rebuild homes, protect communities, organize neighborhoods and networks, and lead the creation of local solutions for building more sustainable cities."