U.S. San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Wednesday announced a new initiative to support women and families with children.
The Women and Families First Initiative will provide targeted job training for 300 women in industries that are expected to grow during San Francisco's economic recovery and will support approximately 800 children with childcare tuition credits, the announcement said.
The initiative is part of Breed's efforts to promote an equitable economic recovery and advances the city's long-term goals to ensure quality early childhood education is accessible for families of all income levels.
"Women, and particularly women with children, have experienced higher rates of unemployment throughout the course of the pandemic. Even before COVID-19, women were getting paid less than men doing similar work," said Breed.
"With this initiative, we're working to make sure that women have employment opportunities that can get them on the path to a fulfilling career, and that more families can access high-quality, affordable childcare so their kids are taken care of and parents can return to work," she added.
To support the initiative, Breed is proposing to allocate 6 million U.S. dollars in her proposed budget for the next two years. The budget will be introduced on June 1, 2021, and if approved in the budget process, the Women and Families First Initiative will be launched in late summer.
