California Apartment Association

If the rental market is returning to the fast lane, you could say women are in the driver’s seat.

Diana Olilck’s Realty Check article on CNBC.com says the housing market’s recovery doesn’t necessarily mean a rush for renters to become buyers.

Pointing to demographics, the article explains the role women are playing in the apartment industry’s success — even as the housing market bounces back.

Some reasons women are likely to keep renting: These days, they’re staying single longer and putting off parenthood for their careers.

That lifestyle suits apartment living more than taking on a mortgage and a home and yard to maintain.

“I rent in an apartment building because it gives me a certain amount of freedom: I’m not positive that I want to stay in D.C. long term so I could leave at year’s end if I wanted to,” Caitlin Huey-Burns said in the CNBC article.

“My building has nice, built-in amenities, and it’s in the location I want, but where I know I wouldn’t be able to afford to buy.”