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Housing researchers are aware of the lower homeownership rates and other housing problems of single women but there is very little research focusing on single women homeowners or the characteristics of the housing they buy. Also, since a wide body of research can be found that examines determinants of homeownership for various population groups, the importance of this study was in its focus on single women homeowners and the characteristics of their housing rather than the determinants of ownership for this group. Using data from the 1993 American Housing Survey (AHS), the study sample consisted of 639 women homeowners who were either widowed, divorced, separated, or never-married, and who did not own their previous residence. The study's purpose was to construct a profile of single women home- owners that included a description of their demographic and housing characteristics, the means by which they acquired their homes, and the changes made in their housing when they became homeowners. Additionally, this study examined which demographic and previous housing characteristics of this group were related to the housing characteristics of their present homes. Descriptive results from this study suggested that single women homeowners are primarily middle aged without young children at home, earn moderate incomes, and that the largest proportion of them live in the South and metropolitan areas. When compared to homeowners in general, single women homeowners' homes cost less and represented a higher proportion of attached and mobile home units. The results also showed that single women used low-down payment financing instruments to a lesser degree than did all homeowners. Results from statistical analyses suggested that significant relationships exist between single women homeowners' housing characteristics, and a) their demographic characteristics, b) their previous housing characteristics, and c) their reasons for moving and selecting their current homes and neighborhoods. Another key finding was that single women homeowners of varying marital status differed in their present and previous housing characteristics and their reasons for selecting the current home. The results of this study support suggestions made by other researchers that examining differences not only by gender but also by the variations in marital status will help to clarify and add to the knowledge of housing and its relevance to populations of varying social composition. / Ph. D.

"The American Dream" is an expression familiar to all Americans and the realization of the American Dream is tied closely to homeownership (Clinton, 1995). The recent financial crisis, with the housing and financial markets at levels not seen since the Great Depression, has resulted in widespread unemployment, continually dropping home prices, escalating home foreclosures, and tightened lending standards. Significant changes in the home buying behavior of Americans since the start of the crisis are clear but it is not clear if overall perceptions of homeownership have become more negative in the wake of this catastrophe (Joint Center for Housing Studies [JCHS], 2011). Might the marriage of homeownership and the American Dream be a thing of the past? The echo-boomer generation (defined as those born after 1980) comprises the largest group of Americans ever to reach their twenties���peak household formation years. They will play a critical role in the face of American housing in the years to come (JCHS, 2011). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether homeownership remains a goal for members of the echo-boomer generation. The population of interest for this study was college students in the United States who are members of the echo-boomer generation. A chain-referral sampling technique resulted in a non-random sample of 256 participants, ranging in age from 18 to 21. Participants were predominantly white non-Hispanic, single females who rented their residences. Most were undergraduate students representing 35 majors. An on-line questionnaire was used that included both closed and open-ended questions grouped around four primary research questions. (1) Do members of this population view homeownership as a safe investment? Simply put, yes. When asked directly, most participants responded "very safe" or "somewhat safe." Stepwise logistic regression was used to explore the predictor variables for this response. Predictor variables with p<.05 included participants��� expectation of the future direction of housing prices and of the economy, their preferred housing tenure, and whether homeownership was part of their own definition of the American Dream. (2) What is the preferred housing tenure form amongst members of this population? A large majority of participants indicated that they preferred homeownership to renting. Logistic regression analysis suggested strong association between preferred housing tenure and whether the participants viewed homeownership as a safe investment, as well as their belief about which housing tenure form made the most sense for them, and the adequacy of their income. (3) Is Homeownership in the Future Plans of College Student Echo-Boomers? The answer to this question was an emphatic yes. Ninety-three percent of current renters claim future plans to own their homes and 58% of current owners say that they will never rent. Logistic regression (p<.05) found that respondents' current tenure form and tenure preference, as well as their belief in the safety of investment in homeownership were predictors of future housing tenure intentions. (4) Do members of this population view homeownership as part of the "American Dream?" When asked explicitly whether owning a home is part of their own personal American Dream, a large majority of of respondents said yes. Logistic regression analysis found that predictors of this view (p<.05) included expectations of rent prices, age, preferred tenure form, and whether participants saw homeownership as a safe investment. This study was grounded in a social constructionist theoretical framework. Among the social constructions of housing is a deep-seated preference for homeownership as the ideal tenure form. Everyday discourse serves to accentuate the positive aspects of homeownership along with the negative aspects of renting (Gurney,1999). In spite of a deep financial crisis and the heightened role of housing in it, homeownership seems to continue as the preferred housing tenure form among the echo-boom generation. Importantly, homeownership as the embodiment of the American Dream seems to have been unaffected by the crisis. / Graduation date: 2012

Housing is a basic requirement for all individuals in every country. Being one of the main tools of urban planning, housing contains different social, economic, psychological, and design aspects, and it attracts attention of different disciplines. A review of the theoretical models, data, and empirical methods reveals deficiencies in all areas of housing sector in Turkey. Especially, there is an important gap in the literature about housing tenure choice. A new research agenda focusing on households&rsquo / tenure choice is needed with the help of models to be developed for this purpose. In this thesis, it is aimed to identify this model by focusing transition from tenancy to homeownership, and by choosing Ankara as the case study. The thesis has two main steps. In the first step, different economic ways of shifting from tenancy to homeownership is examined by using the data of Household Budget Survey (2003) from Turkish Statistical Institute. In the second step, the thesis examines effects of different socio-economic factors on the probability of shifting from tenancy to homeownership, and the way in which the impact of these drives might change with different forms of housing provision with the help of a survey carried out in Yenimahalle and &Ccedil / ankaya. Results of calculations show that housing credits do not offer new homeownership opportunity for households who are not able to purchase a dwelling by saving their incomes in Turkey. The first step illustrates that, households earning less than 1 000 TL per month have no chance to afford a dwelling in Ankara. However next step highlights an irregular mechanism which enables these households to shift to homeownership in Turkey.

This thesis consists of five articles that apply current world research on labor economics at the Czech Republic and confirms the significant differences between men and women in this market. It shows that gender has a significant influence on the preference on the labor market and, consequently, on employment and health. First, the thesis shows that preferences are relevant determinant of career and then we study the difference in preference of salary for men and women. Subsequently it shows that gender plays a significant role in explaining the relationship between homeownership, and unemployment, as well as unemployment and health. The first chapter was able to demonstrate that the preference for a career has a positive influence on the choice of career. The influence of higher education on prioritizing career proved to be positive and significant. Probability of a career choice is reduced by the presence of children, however, is not dependent on their number, which is contrary to the theory of preferences. The second chapter shows that Czech women prefer more non-monetary rewards than men. It has also been shown that people with university education are same in the preferences of non-monetary rewards regardless of the gender of the respondents, however, compared to the world's research, the Czech higher education increases this preference. It turned out that women prefer risk less than men. The third chapter demonstrates that although the housing market undermines labor mobility and employment in the Czech Republic at the regional level, therefore, that in regions with a higher rate of home ownership is higher unemployment, at the individual level, the owners of housing are unemployed are less likely. The estimates are significantly different for men and women. Men living in owner-occupied housing have a higher likelihood of employment than women. At regional level, however, this thesis shows that the high rate of home ownership increases unemployment for both men and women, in the long run only to women. The fourth chapter showed that men transition to homeownership reduces the likelihood of unemployment next year. For women, this relationship has proved to be insignificant. In addition, as insignificant showed the opposite relationship, the transition from unemployment to the newly acquired home ownership. The last chapter shows that the change in the working status to unemployment will increase in the future probability of worse health. Influence in less than two years, however, proved to be significant. An important conclusion is that men have a significantly stronger relationship between health and unemployment than women.

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O discurso dominante no Brasil vincula a ideia de acesso à moradia digna ao ideal de acesso à propriedade individual. A partir dessa constatação, a dissertação reflete sobre a ideologia da casa própria e seus desdobramentos relativos à política habitacional brasileira, buscando: (i) compreender como essa ideologia se expressa, hoje, em face do Programa Minha Casa Minha Vida; (ii) identificar se essa ideologia de fato representa um obstáculo à viabilização programas habitacionais alternativos, como o aluguel social. Para a realização da pesquisa foram identificados os principais atores envolvidos com a produção e aquisição de habitação de interesse social pelo Programa Minha Casa Minha Vida. No trabalho de campo, realizado na cidade de Curitiba, adotou-se a técnica da entrevista qualitativa semiestruturada. Os resultados do estudo revelam que o acesso à casa própria tem sido compreendido, sobretudo: (i) como a garantia da segurança de um teto em caso de eventual crise ou instabilidade política e econômica, e; (ii) como um investimento seguro em uma mercadoria com elevado potencial de troca. Constatou-se ainda que, embora a ideologia da casa própria de fato represente um obstáculo à viabilização de programas de aluguel social, políticas dessa natureza beneficiariam uma parcela importante da população. Nas conclusões, ressalta-se a importância do estímulo à reflexão sobre a habitação como um serviço básico, pautado em política habitacional ampla, que leve em conta a diversidade e as particularidades da população brasileira. / The widespread discourse in Brazil associates the idea of access to dignified housing to the ideal of access to individual homeownership. The present dissertation proposes some reflections on homeownership ideology and its implications regarding the Brazilian housing policy. The main objectives of the research are: (i) to comprehend how the homeownership ideology is expressed, whereas the current housing policy is ruled by the program Minha Casa Minha Vida and; (ii) identify whether this ideology is an obstacle to alternative housing programs, such as social rental housing. To carry out the research the main actors involved in the production and acquisition of social housing through Minha Casa Minha Vida were identified. During the fieldwork, conducted in the city of Curitiba, the technique of semi-structured qualitative interview was adopted. The results of the interviews revealed that homeownership is particularly understood as: (i) the home safety in case of any political or economic instability, and; (ii) a safe investment in a commodity with higher potential returns. Likewise, it was possible to observe that although the homeownership ideology have proven to be an obstacle to the viability of social rental programs, such housing modalities would benefit an important portion of the population. In conclusion, it is emphasized the importance of encouraging reflection on housing as a basic social service, based on extensive housing policy that embraces the particularities and the diversity of the Brazilian population.

O discurso dominante no Brasil vincula a ideia de acesso à moradia digna ao ideal de acesso à propriedade individual. A partir dessa constatação, a dissertação reflete sobre a ideologia da casa própria e seus desdobramentos relativos à política habitacional brasileira, buscando: (i) compreender como essa ideologia se expressa, hoje, em face do Programa Minha Casa Minha Vida; (ii) identificar se essa ideologia de fato representa um obstáculo à viabilização programas habitacionais alternativos, como o aluguel social. Para a realização da pesquisa foram identificados os principais atores envolvidos com a produção e aquisição de habitação de interesse social pelo Programa Minha Casa Minha Vida. No trabalho de campo, realizado na cidade de Curitiba, adotou-se a técnica da entrevista qualitativa semiestruturada. Os resultados do estudo revelam que o acesso à casa própria tem sido compreendido, sobretudo: (i) como a garantia da segurança de um teto em caso de eventual crise ou instabilidade política e econômica, e; (ii) como um investimento seguro em uma mercadoria com elevado potencial de troca. Constatou-se ainda que, embora a ideologia da casa própria de fato represente um obstáculo à viabilização de programas de aluguel social, políticas dessa natureza beneficiariam uma parcela importante da população. Nas conclusões, ressalta-se a importância do estímulo à reflexão sobre a habitação como um serviço básico, pautado em política habitacional ampla, que leve em conta a diversidade e as particularidades da população brasileira. / The widespread discourse in Brazil associates the idea of access to dignified housing to the ideal of access to individual homeownership. The present dissertation proposes some reflections on homeownership ideology and its implications regarding the Brazilian housing policy. The main objectives of the research are: (i) to comprehend how the homeownership ideology is expressed, whereas the current housing policy is ruled by the program Minha Casa Minha Vida and; (ii) identify whether this ideology is an obstacle to alternative housing programs, such as social rental housing. To carry out the research the main actors involved in the production and acquisition of social housing through Minha Casa Minha Vida were identified. During the fieldwork, conducted in the city of Curitiba, the technique of semi-structured qualitative interview was adopted. The results of the interviews revealed that homeownership is particularly understood as: (i) the home safety in case of any political or economic instability, and; (ii) a safe investment in a commodity with higher potential returns. Likewise, it was possible to observe that although the homeownership ideology have proven to be an obstacle to the viability of social rental programs, such housing modalities would benefit an important portion of the population. In conclusion, it is emphasized the importance of encouraging reflection on housing as a basic social service, based on extensive housing policy that embraces the particularities and the diversity of the Brazilian population.