Mount Saint Mary’s University to unveil the latest data on the status of women in California

Los Angeles, CA, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mount Saint Mary’s University will release the 2023 Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California™ on March 22 at the Skirball Cultural Center. The event will feature Los Angeles-area women leaders and experts, including LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Maria S. Salinas, and incoming CEO of LAHSA Va Lecia Adams Kellum, among others.

For the past twelve years, the Center for the Advancement of Women at Mount Saint Mary’s has produced the most authoritative collection of current research and data on issues affecting California’s women and girls. This year’s Report, Advancing Equity: Leading with Meaning and Purpose, shines a light on a wide range of issues, from educational attainment and occupational disparities to earnings and wealth gaps, health and wellness, and work-life balance.

“We are excited to share this year’s data. As the only women’s university in Los Angeles, and one of the most diverse in the nation, we feel compelled to lead the conversation towards gender equity,” said Ann McElaney-Johnson, PhD, president of Mount Saint Mary’s. “We hope this research opens eyes and continues to influence policies statewide.”

President McElaney-Johnson is available for interviews and can speak to the data, put it into the context of its impact and discuss actionable insights to create a more equitable and meaningful future for California’s women and girls. Please let me know if you would like an embargoed copy of the Report or to schedule an interview before the release.

We also invite you to attend the Report event on March 22. For a full list of speakers and to register for the event, visit the Report page (redeem special media code EventVIP23 for free registration). 

2023 Report Data Highlights

Some key findings from this year’s research reveal that:

• In 2020 and 2021, 13% of California women lost a job. Roughly 1 in 4 experienced income loss due to reduced work hours.
• The median earnings of California women working full-time increased 14% from 2019 to 2021. Earnings for women working part-time rose 9%.
• The flexibility to work remotely appears here to stay. In 2019, 1 in 14 women worked from the home. In 2021, 1 in 3 worked remotely.
• Overall, 9% of California’s family households experience poverty. But for households headed by women, with no spouse or partner present, the poverty rate more than doubles to 21%. The rate increases to 29% for women-headed households with children.
• Our state is home to the largest number of women-owned businesses in the United States — 1.5 million. California women own or co-own 36% of the state’s privately-owned businesses with paid employees.
• COVID-19 has impacted our very life expectancy, women and men. Life expectancy for all Californians shortened from 80.9 years in 2019 to 79.0 in 2020 — an almost two-year drop in a single year.
• An estimated 38.2% of women have been plagued by Long COVID statewide compared with 20.8% of men.

ABOUT MOUNT SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY

Mount Saint Mary’s is the only women’s university in Los Angeles and one of the most diverse in the nation. The University is known nationally for its research on gender equality, its innovative health and science programs, and its commitment to community service.

As a leading liberal arts institution, Mount Saint Mary’s provides year-round, flexible, and online programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. Weekend, evening, and graduate programs are offered to both women and men. Mount alums are engaged, active global citizens who use their knowledge and skills to better themselves, their communities and the world. Learn more at www.msmu.edu.

• Mount Saint Mary’s University to unveil the latest data on the status of women in California