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The cost of running an event over two days is not purely financial, but the fact that you then need a full suite of volunteers for two days rather than one. Most events would probably struggle to attract that kind of assistance.
There are two plausible solutions I can see.
One, accept that this is not a problem specific to the women's field. Anyone who has ever raced a mass-start event who is behind the front of the pro men is going to be mixing in with other categories. It's just the nature of the sport. "Pro cyclist" is barely a job description in the USA, even for the top men. The reality is that as a domestic pro you are only a step above the top amateurs ("salaries" for many of the now-defunct NCL were on the order of ~$250/month). Racing with the amateurs is how your career is funded. I was one of those pros once who quickly realized I had much better job prospects elsewhere.
Two, the best you could hope for is a staggered start. Sure, 10 minutes isn't enough, but start the Pro women 10 minutes behind the Pro men and then start the amateurs an hour later. Yes, some of the pro women will still be caught in a long enough race, but not the ones who are competing for a podium. This seems like the most obvious solution...
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