Retirement housing for sale and differences in the decision to purchase that are determined by gender or marital status

Purpose – Various studies have shown that nearly three‐quarters of older people living within retirement housing are female single persons, leading some researchers to argue that sheltered housing is essentially a gender or health‐related issue, which can be explained demographically. Possible differences in the buyer behaviour of men and women or single people and married couples are ignored. If differences exist, the approaches adopted by not‐for‐profit agencies to improve the decision‐making process may need to differentiate between the sexes and marital states. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to comment on the differences in the process and contrast some of the results of the research. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of about 200 respondents was selected from all purchasers of retirement housing in the West Midlands region of England. Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with 20 respondents. Findings – The findings demonstrate that differences exist of less than one‐fifth of the decision‐making factors explored in the study. Originality/value – Differences can limit the number of suitable options for the purchaser. Therefore, not‐ for‐profit agencies, when providing information and offering advice about housing alternatives, need to appreciate differences between the sexes and marital states in terms of the provision of stairs, the garden, loneliness and problems or difficulties associated with bereavement; the number of builders contacted and schemes known; and the awareness and consideration stages of the decision‐making process relating to a number of housing alternatives.