Full-time working women in California earned about 88 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2024, up from 84 cents in 2010, but women’s earnings still lagged far behind those of white men, with no significant improvement in that gap in 14 years, according to a report released Friday.
According to the 15th annual Report on the Status of Women and Girls prepared by Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, women in California earn about 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men.
“While the overall gender pay gap has narrowed slightly, women (especially women of color) continue to lag far behind the highest-earning group (white men) in median earnings,” according to the report.
The report covers a broad range of topics impacting women and girls, finding a mixed bag of results in terms of improvements. It also pointed to areas in needs of change, for example, the underrepresentation of women in California’s tech industry.
“Currently 74% of California’s tech jobs are held by men,” according to the report. “In an economy fueled by artificial intelligence and new technologies, this is a stark imbalance. Equitable representation in this field is key to unlocking greater financial stability for more California women and their families. California women working full time in STEM fields earn just under $110,000 per year — far greater than the $64,000 in median earnings for women across all occupations.”
The report found that the number of women-owned businesses in California outpaces the nation as a whole. Women-owned firms represent 39% of privately held companies in the state, employing about 1.7 million people and generating nearly $362 billion in revenue each year.
In the employment fields believed to be the fastest-growing over the next decade, women are well-represented in the health-care sector, holding 68% of existing health-care practitioner and technical positions, according to the report. But women only account for about 25% of full-time workers in computer- and math-related occupations, and just one in six engineering jobs.
And while women represent nearly half of entry-level positions in corporate settings, but they represented only about 29% of top executive positions.
“The data are clear: Barriers and disparities persist across California’s industries and leadership spaces,” Mount Saint Mary’s University President Ann McElaney-Johnson wrote in the report. “These realities are sobering and sometimes daunting, yet they also remind us why it is essential to lift up the strengths women bring to the workplace. Across every sector, women are redefining leadership, economic opportunity, and community impact.
“… What remains constant is every industry’s need for creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, inclusion, and leadership — qualities that California’s women possess in abundance. Let’s continue the work and move forward with purpose.”