Single women have a variety of factors to consider when looking for homes.

Considerations for single women and single mother-centred homes

By Yanika Liew

A humanistic approach to property places human culture and environment at the heart of building design. With the goal to address the needs and values of its community, a human-centred approach makes homes work for the people. Single women make up a large proportion of women in Malaysia, so what kind of homes are they looking for?

“Lifestyle, routine, safety and security issues contribute to the factor when one considers the type of properties for living,” RSP Architects Healthcare Architecture director Ezlin Tajuddin said.

The term single women itself encompasses a wide range of people, such as older women, separated women, students or professionals, each with their own priorities and goals.

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the female labour force participation rate reached 55.3% in 2022, with the number of women in the workforce steadily increasing from 2019 to 2022. Well on our way to meeting the developmental goal of gender equality, women are becoming much more independent as the years continue. This comes with increased financial freedom, as they become increasingly more powerful in the economy, especially when it comes to buying property.

“Women who are single mostly are career and independent women,” RSP Architects project architect Izura Nasiruddin said.

“Their preference is to have a home that is private, safe, not too big and offers personal space for them to enjoy their hobby. Most single women are residing alone. They enjoy having the entire space solely to themselves as it gives them freedom and privacy. They can decorate the space that suits their personality and needs,”

“The area needs to have layers of security and makes them feel safe and secure. Houses that offer facilities and are surrounded with amenities which ease them to manage their single life. Hence it is seen that single women would prefer apartments, service apartments or condominiums with a private garden and breathtaking view and located in urban areas,”  she explained.

IQI Realty subsales team leader Felica Lee agreed that single women often look for condominiums or apartment properties. These come from factors of safety, where a woman living in a smaller area will be surrounded by other units and a tighter community. An apartment would also be more affordable as compared to landed homes, with a lower need for maintenance.

Ezlin pointed to properties that were designed to be compact and modern, with well-being and sports facilities, as well as tight security as the critical factors that lead the majority of single women to prefer multi-storey residences. 

“Current trends in multi-storey residences have a work, live and play centric approach, which suits the lifestyle of single women. Security tiers at multi-storey residences convince single women that their safety is assured and assistance is within reach especially when they are alone,” Ezlin added.

The issue of security is not a new concern for home buyers but certainly a more pressing one when it comes to women living alone, or even women living with other women. With these priorities, there is more of an emphasis on gated residences, as well as other safety measures such as card access to parking or closed circuit television (CCTV) options.

Maxland Real Estate Agency Royston Lau pointed to the fact that these guarded homes, whether it be condominiums or terrace houses, would be the first choices as they would also have the 24 hours security guard services to assure their safety and security. 

There was also the option of a panic button in the master bedroom and the main door entrance, which could be linked to the security guard should any emergency occur.

As with many homebuyers, the location of the property would be near amenities like restaurants, banks, shopping centres, schools and other learning centres. The nearer the amenities, the easier it would be for home owners. The availability of public transport like the LRT or MRT will also be cost saving for petrol and parking.

“Most of the single women will look for studio or SoHo (Small-office home-office) units because they don’t really need a spacious place and studio or SoHo is easier to do the cleaning. Secondly are the amenities like near hypermarkets, schools and public transportation,” Tech Real Estate team manager Terence Tih agreed. 

Lifestyle designs

“Women are easily attracted to colours [such as ones that] shine, vibrant, bright, soft and warm tones,” Izura said.

As with anyone else, preferred materials are those that come with value and quality. There would also be decorative shapes such as curves, with sleek and clean designs, and pleasant aromas. Designs and decorative furnishing could be associated with calming motifs of flowers and nature.

Of course, these design choices are subject to the personality of its user – regardless of gender, women are not a monolithic group. Home owners may choose to decorate their homes with their own preferences, in consideration of their affordability and lifestyle.

RSP Architect senior architect Freda Tanty Ismail noted that colours that evoke a sense of peace and comfort would be suitable for an urban lifestyle, such as natural greens, or an interconnection between indoor and outdoor living spaces. Especially with Malaysia’s recent heat, designs that encourage natural ventilation for cool and clean air would also be favourable for the working woman.

“The kitchen and multi-purpose furniture is their main consideration. It is good if the unit has a kitchen island because it can be used as a dining table too which could save some space in the house. A sofa-bed is another good choice too,” Tih said.

Lau noted that a minimum of two rooms would be necessary for a woman living alone, with storage and utility rooms as an additional advantage.

“The master bedroom would be bigger in order to have a walk-in wardrobe, as ladies will need space for their collections, such as special event dresses, shoes and branded bags. Attached bathroom with space for full wall mirror and countertop basin. The mirror reflects light around the room, as light can help to add a sense of spaciousness,” Lau said.

“A kitchen cabinet designed to allocate space for a washing machine with the dryer above it, with oven space for easy monitoring and operating instead of locating them at the utility and drying area,” he added.

Children-friendly homes

“Single mothers have different interests than women who are single,” Izura said.

“Mothers tend to enjoy homes that have ample space fit for their children and small family. It is not too small and it doesn’t have to be too big. The space and environment that is comfortable, safe, secure and healthy for her children to grow up,” 

“[She will look for] the type of property that is affordable to her finance as she donned the role of a mother, father and the breadwinner in her family. So landed property like a townhouse, link house or semi-detached is the best concept as it is not too small nor too big,” she pointed out.

For those who must take children into account, Ezlin noted that single mothers would prefer a landed residence or townhouse with a sizable yard. 

“These types of properties have the quality of outdoor spaces within the property fencing. This allows single mothers to observe their children’s outdoor activities while being assured of the safety issue. Terrace dining, BBQ, gardening activity, outdoor play, washing cars, and laundry drying are part of the activity that single mothers would expect to be able to do with ease and security, thus, landed residence comes with these spaces within its fence,” Ezlin said.

“Multi-storey residences may pose safety risks to children such as falls, lift and stairs accidents, and this may be a concern to mothers when choosing such properties,” she added.

Child-friendly homes are better without a balcony, Lee said. Other options would include children-friendly lockset windows and bathrooms, particularly caution for the latter, as water and a slippery surface can be dangerous for children.

Instead, child-friendly interior design must have suitable ergonomics, large spaces for activity and sensible and safety-centric design furniture. Some certain materials and finishes would be able to elevate a child’s sensory, as well as low-maintenance interior fittings. These include anti-bacterial surfaces, infection control, or washable paints, for all those messy phases every child goes through.

Freda pointed to a range of child-friendly design choices that would be able to create a welcoming environment. These included a colourful palette, surroundings with curve forms, safe materials and fit-outs and interactive spaces that promote physical activity. These could be choices of furniture that are rounded, or devoid of sharp edges, as well as placed at a height that is easily accessible and reachable. Choose furniture that is not only soft but durable.

These methods refer to children’s ergonomics, which encourage children to play and study in a safe space. Children should also be encouraged to utilise outdoor spaces, as well as minimalist and calm spaces with the provision of playrooms.

“Design for children generally is easily characterised by colours that define their gender and age, colours that are vibrant, bright and cool,” Izura said.

“When designing a space for children it is all about creating an ample space to allow the children to express themselves, not limiting their potential and process of growing up, help the children to think, play and learn,” she added.

Mothers would also take care to arrange for spaces that will allow them to show off their child’s accomplishments, whether it be framing art on the wall, or displaying their certificates and trophies.

Children-friendly design choices include family spaces with colourful palettes, Freda said.

“The mirror reflects light around the room, as light can help to add a sense of spaciousness,” Lau said.

Lifestyle, routine, safety and security issues are factors in looking for a home, Ezlin said.

“Women who are single mostly are career and independent women,” Izura said.

“The kitchen and multi-purpose furniture is their main consideration,” Tih said.

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