Women are leading the property market - in more ways than one

Just last year, women outperformed men by 0.4 percentage points (40 basis points) on investment properties. What this means, in lay terms, is that women are earning better interest.

It's speculated that the main reason women have delved into investment properties with such gusto is due to the gender pay gap, which, for full-time employment, currently sits at 15.3 per cent. This means that women, on average, will have to work 12 years longer than men to secure the same amount of finance for retirement.

But this is only part of the equation. It's a long-established fact that in families, it's the woman who makes the bulk of the financial decisions, not because she's the bigger earner, but because she's more intimately acquainted with the family's needs.

It's therefore left to the woman to carry what feminists and psychologists call the "mental load". Put simply, this is the mental effort required to make sure all the balls stay in the air.

It makes sense then, that married women with children, who already know exactly where the household finances are going, would then be able to make a more informed decision about real estate.

"Based on our experiences with clients, female investors understand the extensive research methodology used to evaluate property, interpret and accept the reasoning behind recommendations provided and then, how to move on to the contract," is how Susan Farquhar, managing director of Calla Property, explains it.

"In comparison, men generally want to know the next 'hot spot' to invest in, leading to sub-optimal decisions."

• Related: Women more likely than men to own home
• Related: Are auctions sexist?
• Related: Who is the typical investor in the Australia?

But the recent upswing of women investors is by no means limited to those who are married. According to Farquhar's own research, there has been a marked increase in single women, aged between 23 and 45 who want a slice of the property investment market.

"In the past 12 months, [women] have been able to get into the market quicker and borrow more..." says Farquhar. "Of all of our clients, 34 per cent more women than men have more than two investment properties and the past year has also seen a 36 per cent increase in enquiries from single women."

But make no mistake, these property decisions are not being made in haste; women are doing their homework - and reaping the benefits.

"Women tend to seek property locations with minimal risk and lower returns." she says. "Essentially they want deeper insights into their properties, so they can make smarter choices and have solid returns from their investments."

In summary: women aren't afraid of long-term commitment. "Property investment is for those who are willing to be in it for the long haul, as short-term trades are unlikely to produce solid gains. Female clients are not afraid of committing to a plan and are more disciplined in the long term," says Farquhar.

But before we start quoting from Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus, and throwing around old-fashioned ideas about women being "naturally" careful, it might be wise to look at why exactly women are making such prudent decisions.

The reason, women will quickly tell you, is because they have to. "Women want to focus on life priorities" says Farquhar, "such as saving and investing for retirement or their child's [tertiary education], not on outsmarting the market."

Those real estate agents who are still of the belief that they need to wait until the husband sees the property shouldn't hold their breath. Because it turns out that the "decision maker"; the manager, the one who will sign off on the contract first, and give you your commission, is the woman standing in front of you.

Susan Farquhar will be presenting at the Property Buyer Expo from Friday 20th October to Sunday 22nd October. She's joined by Margaret Lomas, Peter Gordon and Mark Lewin to facilitate an insight panel on why women are better investors than men.