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Mount Saint Mary’s University will release the 2024 Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California™ on March 22 at the Skirball Cultural Center.  

For the past thirteen 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. The Report has been a valuable resource for advocates, business leaders, elected officials, and engaged citizens since 2011. The 2024 Report, The Cost of being a Woman, will examine different barriers to financial, physical and emotional well-being and highlight opportunities for lasting economic stability and wealth for women and girls in our state.

To set the stage for the much-anticipated annual event, the Center hosted a breakfast conversation on November 9 at the historical Pompeian Room of the Doheny Mansion. The event gathered thought leaders and community partners who got a sneak peek of the 13th annual Report and had the opportunity to connect with Nicole Haggard, PhD, the new director of the Center. 

Nicole sparked engaging discussions among the audience and highlighted stark data, such as the financial impact of the pink tax on women, which a 2020 study in California found adds up to about $188,000 over the course of a woman’s lifetime. 

“The lack of financial security for women in California is permeating our entire society,” said Dr. Haggard. “Every area of our lives exposes the hidden costs of being a woman. From healthcare to beauty standards, lack of access to venture capital, invisible domestic labor and unbalanced care work. In order to come up with actionable solutions, we need to shift our perspective to see what comes into focus when we put a gender lens on financial issues, and a financial lens on intersectional gender issues. That is what our Report is going to do this year.” 

Under Dr. Haggard’s leadership, the Center will continue to produce timely data and partner with organizations that share the Center’s mission: to eradicate the gender inequities that persist in our world today. Crucial partners in this mission include the Los Angeles County Women and Girls Initiative, the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, City National Bank, and Southern California Edison, which had representatives in attendance. 

Tickets to attend the 2024 Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California™ on March 22 are available here.