NYC Women Rake In Cash On Airbnb, Figures Show

NEW YORK — Intense debate over how to regulate Airbnb hasn't stopped women from using it to rake in cash. A woman in New York City hosting guests through the home-sharing platform made nearly $2,000 more than the city's typical host last year, Airbnb figures show.

Airbnb says its women hosts in New York City earned more than $95 million last year with a median income of $8,166. That's about 30 percent more than the median income of $6,266 across all of the city's hosts, according to the company.

"Women have always been the driving force behind our global community — and especially so in New York," Josh Meltzer, Airbnb's head of northeast policy, said in a statement. "... We’re proud to play a small role in empowering women — and all of our New York host(s) — to create their own economic opportunities, from starting their own businesses, to paying off students loans and saving for retirement."

Women make up 56 percent of all Airbnb's hosts and they've earned $12 billion in just the past year, with women in the United States making $4 billion in 2018, the company says.

The dynamics are similar in New York, according to Airbnb — the state has about 32,000 women hosts and women make up 54 percent of the statewide host population. New York City also ranked sixth among Airbnb's top 10 destinations for U.S. female travelers.

Lisa Heller of Fort Greene, Brooklyn has been using Airbnb for about four years. She said she rents a small room in her brownstone for one to five months, usually to interns and other young people who need a place to stay.

Some women hosts reportedly use Airbnb to support themselves financially. But Heller, who works in finance, said she puts her earnings toward meals, trips or other purchases that she might not otherwise splurge on.

"Lots of people are looking for ways to make extra money, side gigs, and I think hospitality is a good fit for a lot of women," said Heller, 51, who lives with her 11-year-old son. "A lot of it involves sort of taking care of a space and making your guests feel welcome and sort of nurturing and hosting. And not that men can’t do that, but I think it’s something that ... women can capitalize on."

The figures indicate female hosts in the five boroughs continued to earn amid the city's push to crack down harder on illegal short-term rentals.

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a law last August to force Airbnb and similar services to hand over information about their hosts to the city such as names, addresses and listing URLs. But a federal judge in January blocked the law from taking effect after Airbnb sued along with another company, HomeAway.

De Blasio and others have argued the information would help the city go after landlords who turn apartments into illegal hotels. The company has said the city should take a more collaborative approach to an industry that serves as a financial lifeline for many hosts.

While some people use apartments "in ways that were not intended," Heller said, the majority of the city's hosts use the platform as she does.

"There’s no doubt in my mind that somebody might own an apartment and try to rent it out to visitors," she said. "But I also think that there’s a tremendous number of people using the platform in the spirit that it was intended — small homeowners, apartment-dwellers who have a little extra space that they think they can monetize."