Los Angeles, CA, March 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU), Los Angeles, today announced publication of its 10th annual Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California™. This year’s report takes an in-depth look at the challenges that women and girls in the state are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report will be released on March 31 during a virtual event titled Women and the Pandemic: Impact, Resilience and Moving Forward.
“There is no doubt the pandemic will have long-lasting repercussions for women and girls across the state,” said Ann McElaney-Johnson, PhD, president of Mount Saint Mary’s University. “A year into the pandemic, record numbers of women have left the workforce, and from those who continue to work, 42% of them are considered essential workers. In the last year, women have delayed medical care and experienced increased anxiety, all while holding their families and communities together. This report shines a light on how these setbacks will impact women for years to come.”
This is the 10th anniversary of the annual report by the Center for the Advancement of Women at MSMU, which has helped inform public policy decisions and nonprofit funding priorities statewide. Governments, foundations and professional organizations regularly commission the Mount to create custom reports, while community partners amplify the research and provide MSMU with data from their own fields of expertise. The report serves as a policymaking advocacy tool for gender-equity advocates in California.
This year’s virtual event will include a conversation with Los Angeles County Supervisors Kathryn Barger, Sheila Kuehl and Holly J. Mitchell, who will discuss how women leaders are changing the course of history in Los Angeles.
Other speakers at this year’s event include:
- Emerald Archer (Director, Center for the Advancement of Women)
- Alisha Haridasani Gupta (Reporter, The New York Times)
- Maria Hinojosa (Anchor/Executive Producer, Latino USA, NPR)
- Mekala Krishnan, PhD (Partner, the McKinsey Global Institute)
- Michaela Pereira (Anchor, Good Day LA)
- Maria Prados, PhD (Economist at the Center for Economic and Social Research, USC)
- Jane Wurwand, (Founder, Found/LA)
The annual event gathers leaders from various industries to inspire action to address inequalities and gender gaps in California and the nation.
Among the 2021 Report’s highlights:
- Childcare During the Pandemic: For families with one or both parents working from home, 41% say that mothers provide the majority of extra childcare responsibilities compared to just 15% who say the father does.
- The Pandemic’s Impact on Education: Among Californians who had planned to pursue an advanced degree in fall 2020, more than one in three canceled all plans for postsecondary study, while the remaining adults modified their plans. Nearly half (45%) of African American households with students canceled all postsecondary studies for fall 2020.
- Women as Essential Workers: 42% of California’s working women are employed in essential jobs.
- Working from Home: 29% of women feel that working from home has had a positive effect on their career, compared with 57% of men
- Impact of COVID-19: Latinx women and men make up 39% of California’s population. They comprise 47% of all COVID-19 deaths
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 equity, 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.
About the Center for the Advancement of Women
The Center for the Advancement of Women at Mount Saint Mary’s University is a hub for gender equity research, advocacy and leadership development. Its vision is to find solutions to persistent gender inequities and work with partners to eradicate those inequities in our lifetime. That goal includes eliminating obstacles that women face in the workplace, in their communities, in the media and beyond to make a positive difference in the lives of women and girls in California and our nation. The Center also creates public programming, research guides and training opportunities to engage more partners in its work.