This book is about how housing is often considered to be gender neutral but is actually gendered in multiple and complex ways. It comprises a series of case studies drawing on a wide range of empirical evidence from different countries worldwide. ‘In the context of contemporary economic, political, social and cultural transformation this collection draws together contributions from developed and less developed societies in Europe, the USA and East Asia in order to highlight the nature, extent and impact of these changes on the housing opportunities of women’ (p. 203).

The book begins with a discussion of the theoretical framework the contributors use to understand and explain the connections between housing and gender inequality. Unsurprisingly, it takes a social constructionist approach. ‘In this collection the social construction of gender inequality in the housing system is interpreted as a consequence of taken-for-granted cultural and social practices, as well as the material deprivation of housing resources and structural inequalities in society at large’ (p. 4). The authors show how housing systems are embedded within ‘structured and institutionalised relations of power which are gendered’ (p. 1), but the collection clearly shows awareness of differences over time and space and between cultures.

The introduction briefly covers what will be for feminists well-known ground, theories of power, the public/private discourse, the powerful continued influence of the male breadwinner model and its implications for women in maintaining gendered inequality in so many ways, including in housing. The second chapter considers the international framework and its relevance to women's housing rights. To those unfamiliar with gender issues and housing, this is a useful introduction; but the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with the existing housing right norm and that it is the interpretation and implementation that are deficient is hardly ground breaking.

The empirical case studies which follow provide fascinating insights into the gender regimes, housing policies and contemporary societal changes that shape women's access to housing today. With countries as diverse as Australia, Sweden and Japan, the case studies provide very detailed overviews of housing policy, housing markets, demographic and economic changes and gender discourses in different countries and the way these factors interrelate to create and maintain gender inequalities. There are both similarities and differences between the diverse countries under scrutiny as ‘many features of women's situations are related to the social development, the production system, the degree of urbanisation and social relations of power, including those related to gender. Hence, they are shared in common by many countries. Other qualities may be specific for a nation state, a region or a “welfare regime”, while yet other traits are formed by the road taken at historical crossroads of national housing policy’ (p. 114). Some of the chapters leave you wanting more detail with necessarily brief mentions of complex issues, such as the marginalisation of African American women in Chapter 4, but through the limitations of space these cannot all be discussed in depth.

The essays all highlight the changes that women have experienced, such as entry into the labour market, rising education standards, changes to household arrangements and in particular the demise of the nuclear family household, but the diverse case studies also clearly demonstrate the lack of change in social attitudes and understandings of the family and women's place within the home. In many contexts, housing policy is shaped very strongly by the nuclear family and male breadwinner model. However, as the case studies show, recent changes in labour markets and household formations mean that this is not reality in many cases, and despite the disjuncture between the discourse of the nuclear family and lived reality for many women, it continues to shape policy, often to women's detriment. Even in countries noted for their gender equality and forward thinking in this area such as Sweden, women earn less than men and the nuclear family model shapes policy, despite most households not living in this arrangement, either historically or currently (less than one in five households in Sweden is a two-parent family with children).

The gender pay gap is present in every case study. Women's lower incomes and the detrimental impact on their ability to secure and maintain adequate housing is a common theme throughout the book. It shows how level of income is decisive for women's position in the housing market and how, in addition, women still bear the greatest responsibility for unpaid reproductive labour, which also shapes their housing situations. Despite the commonalities, the case studies also show the different impacts on different women. Certain groups of women, for example, single parents, female headed households, those on the lowest incomes, immigrant women and older women all experience particularly acute inequalities in housing markets.

The book is certainly not a cheerful read, but demonstrates the continued and deeply entrenched gender inequalities in various countries, despite the differences between women and between different social, economic, political and cultural contexts. The book engages with contemporary issues that all countries, and housing researchers, are grappling with today. ‘The societies covered in this collection face many common challenges which have serious implications for women in the housing arena, such as an ageing population (the majority of whom are women), the changing nature of households, rising divorce rates and separation, increasing income inequality, and continuing gender inequality (in spite of regulatory measures to eliminate gender discrimination)’ (p. 205). Through its empirical detail, the book is an invaluable addition to the specific field of gender and housing and through its sensitive and analytically clear theoretical framework of feminist understandings of inequality is also a welcome and much-needed addition to the more general work on comparative housing debates.