Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Tuesday announced the initial results of “The Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Los Angeles,” the first-ever study focusing on the issues and trends affecting the women and girls in the city of Los Angeles.
In line with his commitment to delivering solutions for Los Angeles that are based on the best possible information, Garcetti asked the Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women to commission the report to guide policymaking to address economic, social, and other inequalities facing women.
The five-part report was researched by Mount Saint Mary’s University. The first two parts, released Tuesday, examines gender equity in the areas of demographics and leadership. The other areas of focus are education and workforce development, public safety, and L.A.’s veterans.
“Our city only succeeds if everyone has an equal shot at success. For too long, our women and girls have been left behind and counted out, and I want Los Angeles to lead in employing and empowering women,” said Garcetti. “This first-of-its-kind report provides us with important information that will help us develop a plan of attack to address gender inequality and the issues affecting women in our city, which will improve our overall economy and quality of life.”
In addition to announcing the results of the report, Garcetti also announced the strides his administration has made thus far to achieve greater equity in city government. Three of Garcetti’s four deputy mayors are women, and of the 12 new general managers he’s appointed, six are women. And for the first time in history, City Hall has achieved gender parity on its 41 boards and commissions—in the mayor’s administration, women hold 54 percent of these positions, and there are no longer any all-male commissions.
“As a women’s university, it’s in our DNA to ask the critical questions necessary to help ensure equal and full opportunity for women everywhere,” said Mount Saint Mary’s President Ann McElaney–Johnson. “As a member of the Los Angeles community, Mount Saint Mary’s University is honored to provide vital research that helps the mayor and his administration in the pursuit of gender equity for the nearly 2 million women and girls here in our hometown.”
Key findings of the first two parts of the report include:
• Women of color comprise 72 percent of Los Angeles’ female population, with Latinas representing 48 percent of all women in the city.
• Twenty-five percent of all L.A. women (25 years and older) do not have a high school degree, compared with 13 percent of U.S. women.
• Sixty-three percent of L.A. women have not attained a post-secondary degree, compared to 62 percent of U.S. women.
• Thirty percent of all L.A. women under the age of 18 live in poverty.
• The L.A. poverty rate for single mothers raising children under the age of five is 49 percent – four times greater than the rate for married couples.
• L.A. women’s median earnings are $25,557 versus $30,399 for men, meaning women earn $0.84 for every $1 a man earns.
• Twenty-eight percent of city employees are women.
• Women provide 78 percent of the city’s administrative support staff and only 2 percent of employees classified as “skilled craft.”
• Women in Los Angeles City Government earn $0.83 for every $1 earned by men.
The first two parts of the report can be viewed at www.lamayor.org/statusofwomen.
