plural of foreclosure; legal processes where lenders repossess property due to unpaid mortgages
From Old French 'forclos', past participle of 'forclore' meaning 'to exclude', from 'fors' (outside) + 'clore' (to close)
Foreclosure literally means 'to close outside' - it's the legal way of saying 'you can't come back in' when someone can't pay their mortgage!
Foreclosure crises (2008, ongoing) disproportionately displaced women and families of color due to predatory lending targeting vulnerable groups; women often lost homes despite spousal income because property/credit systems historically excluded them from joint ownership recognition.
Use with demographic context when discussing impact; acknowledge disproportionate effects on women and marginalized communities.
Women's housing rights advocacy—from suffragists fighting property restrictions to modern fair lending activism—has been central to systemic reform.
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