First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray (above) and Deputy Mayor of Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen today unveiled Women.NYC
, a new initiative to support the advancement of women in their careers and help make New York City fairer for working women. The website and citywide marketing campaign will provide access to key resources and tools that will help advance women in the workplace.
The launch of Women.NYC is in response to known gender disparities in the workplace and seeks to motivate other women to make “power moves” to further their careers and get equal pay for equal work.
Campaign ads and videos that will be located throughout the city can be viewed here.
“This Administration has taken bold steps to fight the forces of inequality that are holding society back, and this new initiative will give women the tools they need to succeed in one, easy to access place. I thank the First Lady and Deputy Mayor Glen for spearheading this effort that will help make New York City fairer for women,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“New York City cannot continue as a successful city if women cannot succeed too. And now, for the first time in history, the women of New York City have all the tools they need to succeed in one place with Women.NYC,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray, co-chair for the Commission on Gender Equity. “Power means something different for every woman, but we are all better off when every woman can tap into her power.”
“Women have waited long enough for equal pay, power and respect. In New York City, we aren’t going to wait any longer. That’s why we are launching Women.NYC,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen. “We know women can do it alone. But we don’t have to. Women now have concrete tools for concrete success, all in one, easy-to-navigate place. New York City is already the best city in the world for women. Today, we’re making it even better.”
The Women.NYC website will function as a one-stop-shop that will provide information, resources, and tools on key topics such as finding a job, starting and running a business, getting legal help, accessing health services, raising a child/family, money management and more.
The initiative is backed by a citywide marketing campaign comprised of traditional and digital media that will be located at various, highly trafficked and visible locations throughout the five boroughs and online. The thought-provoking ads are meant to encourage women across the city to share the story of their career journey and inspire other women using the hashtag #NYCPowerMove.
Despite significant progress made under the de Blasio Administration to date, such as establishing Pre-K For All, instituting paid sick and family leave, and banning questions about salary history to prevent pay discrimination, many women continue to face barriers to success due to a number of factors like inflexible family leave policies and societal reinforcement of gender-normative career tracks.
The Stats
In New York City, women earn about 89 cents on the dollar compared to men, and out of the 55 Fortune 500 companies in New York City, only one has a female CEO.
The numbers are staggering for women-owned businesses too. On average, female-owned businesses generate 61 percent less revenue than male-owned businesses. In NYC, there are 360,000 women entrepreneurs, yet men own 1.5 times the number of businesses, have 3.5 times the number of employees, and generate 4.5 times the amount of revenue. Women own 30 percent of small businesses in the country, but only 4.4 percent of small business loans are allocated to women.
What Women.NYC Can Do
The Women.NYC site will function as a unified platform that will foster an online community of change-makers, local leaders and more. Women are encouraged make their voices heard, get engaged, use their agency to create new partnerships, develop programming and introduce policy ideas that support the advancement of women professionally and personally.
In addition to positioning NYC as the leading city in the world for women, the initiative is specifically calling on the private sector to do their part to close the pay gap by 2028, achieve gender parity on corporate boards and senior leadership teams by 2025, and offer at least six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.
Following the initial campaign launch, there will be a series of workshops, forums and new programs designed to help women and promote the initiative.
New Yorkers can get involved with Women.NYC by following @Women_NYC on Instagram, sharing power move stories using the hashtag #NYCPowerMove, and logging on to Women.NYC to learn how the city can help you and your sisters, friends, mothers, and daughters achieve more.
“As Chair of the Committee on Women, my top priority is making sure that women are empowered to lead, achieve their full potential, and overcome the social and institutional boundaries that we have faced for centuries. I believe that Women.NYC’s innovative support for women’s careers and businesses will be a game changer, and I wholeheartedly support its mission to solidify New York as the world’s best city for women. I look forward to Women.NYC’s success and the success of all of the women who will be better off because of it,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal.
“In the fight for gender equity in the workplace, New York City must lead by example,” said Council Member Margaret S. Chin, Co-Chair of the New York City Council Women’s Caucus.“By creating a centralized hub for women to access the tools they need on their professional journeys, our City is making a strong commitment to women’s leadership in the public and private sector. In the age of Time’s Up and the Women’s March, I thank First Lady Chirlane McCray and Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen for their efforts to turn this groundbreaking cultural moment into a thriving movement that will transform the lives of women and girls for the better.”
Council Member Debi Rose said: “To create an environment where women can thrive in the workplace—as employees, leaders and entrepreneurs—we in New York City government have taken aggressive measures to empower women and close the persisting pay gap. With the launch of Women.NYC, we take another important step, providing women with the practical tools, resources and networking opportunities to further advance their careers. I encourage women to explore this dynamic website, and to inspire and empower other women by joining the conversation with the #NYCPowerMove hashtag.”
“In 2018, even in a city as progressive as New York City, women still earn 89 cents on the dollar compared to men. It is high time that changed, and we achieved true gender equality. To that end, I am proud that our great city is unveiling Women.NYC to empower women, to connect women with each other and to encourage them to share their stories, re-assuring little girls across this city in the firm belief that they can achieve any goal they set their mind to,” said Senator Marisol Alcantara.
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon said, “Women.NYC is an innovative new tool that will support women in all industries and help them thrive in the workplace. It is 2018, yet equal pay for equal work remains elusive, and women are still underrepresented in too many fields, fighting for equality and more seats at the able. Through this site, women can network with one another to advance their careers and promote opportunities for growth and learning. I applaud Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and First Lady Chirlane McCray for their work to support women and equality in our city.”
“I want to thank both First Lady Chirlane McCray and Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen for the innovative Women.NYC initiative,” said Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte the Chair of the Oversight Committee on Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises. “This initiative will provide both the practical tools to level the playing field for female entrepreneurs, as well as a robust advertising initiative which will allow successful women to encourage a multitude of other women with descriptions of their achievements.”
“The stats show that gender disparities are consistent in favoring men in salaries, small business opportunities, and leadership positions in our society. In fact, women graduation rates from four year careers exceed men rates and yet women are deprived from escalating to high ranked positions in the workforce. Women.NYC sets a platform for women to network and empower themselves to aspire for gender equality in our City and beyond. Our socio-economic structure needs to level the playing field for women to compete based on credentials, capabilities, and potential and not in retrospective. I look forward to continue to be a voice and an allied for initiatives that empower women to succeed in all aspects,” said Assemblymember Carmen De La Rosa.
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