Is Homeownership Liberating or Limiting for Single Women?

As demographic changes lead to greater numbers of single women purchasing homes, 22% of all homebuyers in 2006 versus 11% in 1981, Bolick wonders if the "ineffable" qualities of homeownership outweigh the risks exposed by the housing crisis.

Bolick claims that, "the housing crisis is our chance to reconsider the centrality of homeownership to the national psyche. Buying a home still works for many people, but it should no longer be taken as the embodiment of the American dream."

In weighing the pros and cons of homeownership versus renting for single women, Bolick finds that, "What most of us look for in a home-a sense of security, safety and comfort-can be found without making such a major and complicated financial investment, one that, as the housing crisis has proved, can too easily end in calamity."