LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Women’s Equality Day was celebrated Monday, exactly 99 years after women across America gained the right to vote.
It’s not only a day to remember the fight for that right, but also to consider the work still being done.
Surina Kahn, CEO of the Women’s Foundation of California in Beverly Hills, sat down with CBSN Los Angeles to talk about what Women’s Equality Day is all about.
“Today is about celebrating the leadership of women,” said Kahn. “Particularly, for us, it’s about celebrating the leadership of women and girls of color…and from immigrant communities here in California.
“We want to celebrate what we’ve accomplished since 99 years ago women won the right to vote, but we also want to look forward about the problems we still have and all of the things we have to do in terms of getting equal equality, equity, justice for women and girls and the communities and families we care about in California.”
Kahn discussed some of the challenges she has found facing single moms in the Los Angeles community.
“California, we’re the fifth-largest economy in the world. So we have vast amounts of wealth and resources here, and at the same time, we have the highest rates of poverty in the entire nation…Here in Los Angeles, that means a single mom, if you just take two line items in her budget, childcare and housing, she’s paying more than 63% for housing and more than 71% hor childcare,” said Kahn.
She discussed the advances women have made in California in terms of moving from 21% to 30% of women in elected office.
In Los Angeles County, there is a majority of women on the Board of Supervisors, and may eventually be an all-female Board of Supervisors.
“The leadership of women and the representation of women in elected office, corporate sector, the non-profit sector, the philanthropic sector, is critical because the leadership of women allows us to accelerate change where everybody benefits,” said Kahn.
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