Today, over 67% of REALTORS® are women.
Within that number:
- 56 percent of licensed brokers
- 66 percent of sales agent licensees
- 63 percent of full-time sales agents
- 69 percent of part-time sales agents
For Women’s History Month, we celebrate the history and accomplishments of women leaders and innovators within the real estate industry. From the origination in 1794, to the establishment as a legitimate business in the 1840s, women have played an integral part in how the real estate industry was formed. Nationwide, female brokers and affiliate brokers dominate the residential real estate market.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) was founded in 1908. Membership was entirely male despite there being 3,000 women brokers at that time. Their first female member did not join until 1910. While NAR didn’t explicitly ban membership from the organization, they did require real estate board membership, which did explicitly ban women. The Women’s Council of Realtors was founded in 1938 as a parallel organization to NAR.
While women gained traction in the early twentieth century, The Great Depression halted progress. Two-thirds of female agents left during the 30-40’s. Post World War II, with the establishment on VA loans and the increase of single-family suburban homes being built, those advancements brought women back into the industry. As women gained more political influence following the women’s liberation movement, there became more opportunities in real estate. In 1973, NAR extended their membership, which made many women eligible for membership, By the 1978, the majority of NARS members were women and the number of women real estate agents grew to 300,000.
Since then, the industry has transformed a great deal and the percentage of women in real estate grows. Women continually shape and redefine the real estate industry and workplace.
Source:
https://www.theceshop.com/
https://www.nar.realtor/
https://www.inman.com/2016/03/