California women still face hurdles from economy, budget

Even as California’s economy and budget improve, much of the progress has bypassed the state’s women, according to a report being released Tuesday morning.

“Women have not shared equally in the emerging recovery, and recent years’ budget cuts continue to cloud the economic outlook for women and threaten their economic security,” said the report from the California Budget Projet and the Women’s Foundation.

Employment among women slipped from December 2010 through December 2012 even while men were steadily finding new work.

The average salary for female workers has also dropped, falling from nearly $33,000 in 2006 to less than $31,000 in 2011.

Challenges for women extend to how the governor and lawmaker have cut spending to close budget gaps in recent years, the report said. Women are much more likely than men to rely on welfare from CalWORKs, and those benefits have been trimmed multiple times.

The report also said it’s harder for many women to find work because the state has cut back spending on child care and preschool. In 2007, there were more than 461,000 spots available for children. Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget proposal, which would take effect July 1, includes less than 346,000 slots.

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Twitter: @chrismegerian