New York City Threw a Rally to Promote Groundbreaking New Services for Women

New York City has the smallest wage gap in the United States—but that doesn’t mean there’s not more work to be done. Women in New York still make 89 cents for every dollar men make, and a new initiative from the city government aims to close that gap by 2028.

Women.nyc, newly launched by the city, is a portal for any women in New York seeking information, resources, and services about work life. They can get help finding a job, starting a business, and even raising children and staying healthy.

During an event on May 17 at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, Women.nyc lit up the park’s famous arch to detail how their new portal helps women working and living in the city. Several guest speakers discussed how important it is for women living in New York to band together to fight for gender equality, especially in business and government.

“I want to be a city, when we all get together again in 10 years, that is not celebrating 98 cents on the dollar, but is celebrating a buck five on the dollar, because we’re women, and we’re really really smart and good at what we do,” said deputy mayor Alicia Glen. “We have to fundamentally change the whole discussion, and I think that it’s pretty clear that like Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, it’s not hoping for equality of opportunity under the law, we have to act for empowerment, and that’s what we’re doing here tonight.”

Other guest speakers included Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, Erin Vilardi, the founder of Vote Run Lead, Dr. Herminia Palacio, deputy mayor of health and human services, Kathleen Culhane, president of Nontraditional Employment for Women, and Sophia Chang, writer and former manager of members of the Wu-Tang Clan. And the all-women drum band Fogo Azul performed and accompanied the speakers.

“There’s nobody, nobody like New York City women. We all know this," Chang said. "In fact, I think the men in this city should have to pay a tax for the luxury of seeing the most brilliant, the most powerful, the most hustling, the most beautiful, the most confident, and the most stylish women in the world walk these streets every single day."

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