Housing the “Others” - Migrant and Gender Disparities in Housing Cost, Satisfaction, and Opportunity

Summary

As housing markets grow increasingly unequal, understanding how identity and systemic conditions shape access is critical. This dissertation investigates housing inequality in the Netherlands and Nanjing by analyzing two often-overlooked groups: migrant homeowners and migrant women tenants. Drawing on WoON 2015 and 2018 data and linked microdata, the study shows that migrants in Dutch homeownership markets face systematic price premiums in native-dominated neighborhoods—reflecting potential exclusionary dynamics. Meanwhile, migrant residents report heightened safety concerns and differing satisfaction with neighborhood composition compared to native residents, shaped by distinct migration experiences. In Nanjing, a mixed-methods approach combining a large platform dataset with in-depth interviews reveals how migrant women navigate the gendered dimensions of platform-based shared renting. Their housing decisions involve trade-offs between platform convenience, financial cost, and control over roommate gender—negotiated in response to safety concerns and gender norms. By integrating welfarist and capability approaches, the study reveals both measurable disparities and hidden constraints, informing more inclusive housing systems in rapidly changing cities.