Are women really represented in real estate?
“Of course,” you might be saying to yourself, “more women than men are Realtors.” This map from Trulia last year says it all, and according to NAR, 55% of people in the real estate industry are women.
But although real estate seems to be an industry that is made up of predominantly women…it seems to be run predominantly by men.
Doesn’t it? Take a look at major brokerages – most are run by men. Obviously there are several successful women who are managing brokers, even CEOs of Realtor associations, like Ginger Downs, CEO of Chicago Association of Realtors, there are more men in charge of brokerages, associations and MLS companies across the nation.
There are exceptions, but…
Of course, there are exceptions, and this varies from brokerage to brokerage. In the Chicago area, for example, the percentage of male and female managing brokerages for all Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerages is exactly at 50 percent for each side, according to Chris Haran, director of strategic planning and initiatives for the company’s corporate offices.
But, since this is an industry that is mostly identified as a female-centric industry, shouldn’t there be more leaders in real estate who are women?
What do you think? I’ve heard that women tend to sell real estate better, and that doesn’t translate to management. I’ve heard that this is just among the other sexist industries/workplaces in the US, where men make more than women, and men move up the ranks to management faster than women.
AGBeat’s Lani Rosales, actually, couldn’t have said it better herself in an editorial on this topic early last year, and there is little shock that in that period, nothing has changed.
I’m very interested in what you think. Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
