A new study suggests joint mortgage applications are more likely to be approved if a man is listed first on the application, according to the Chicago Tribune. 

The Woodstock Institute, a housing policy group, conducted the study by analyzing 2010 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act fair lending data reported to the government.

The survey says home purchase applications with a woman listed as the primary borrower and a man as the co-borrower were 24% less likely to be approved. Woman-headed refinance applications also were 39% less likely to be approved. 

"It's unlikely that there isn't some element of discrimination," said Spencer Cowan, vice president of research at Woodstock. "It may be totally unconscious."

It's important to note the study did not elaborate on all of the borrowers' underwriting criteria, but did control for loan-to-income ratios.