Women Forward NYC

The Adams administration’s goal is to make New York City the most women-forward city in the United States.

Supported through city dollars, private and public partnerships, academic institutions, federal and grant funding, Women Forward NYC addresses gender disparities by connecting women, including transgender and gender expansive New Yorkers of all ages to professional development and higher-paying jobs; dismantling barriers to sexual, reproductive, and maternal healthcare; reducing gender-based violence against women; and provide holistic housing services, including for formerly incarcerated women and domestic violence survivors.

Every Woman Deserves to Reach Her Maximum Potential

• Decades of data show longstanding gender disparities in education, health, social services, and safety persist—exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic—and continue to create roadblocks for women’s economic advancement and overall wellbeing.
• Women continue to be paid 86 cents for every dollar a man makes in New York state, Black women 64 cents, and Hispanic women 57 cents. Black women are 4 times more likely to die from a a pregnancy-associated death than white women. 75% of women have been harassed during their daily commutes.

An Action Plan for Gender Equity

• Women Forward NYC employs a holistic approach to address immediate needs, tackle long-standing disparities, and position New York City as a national leader for advancing women’s issues.
• Women Forward NYC encompasses new and ongoing investments dedicated to supporting gender equity totaling over $43 million.
• The action plan focuses on three key areas, with a special emphasis on supporting historically marginalized populations:

1. Economic Mobility

• Build pipelines toward higher-wage, in-demand career pathways
• Improve financial literacy and access to financial resources
• Dismantle barriers to work and increased incomes

2. Health

• Address inequities in sexual, chronic, and reproductive health
• Reduce Black and Brown maternal mortality rates
• Improve access to comprehensive medical treatment
• Enhance mental health education and outreach

3. Public Safety & Housing Stability

• Increase initiatives that reduce violence toward women, LGBTQ+ women, nonbinary New Yorkers, and women of color
• Expand interventions to prevent domestic violence and support survivors
• Provide a continuum of services for low-income families to keep them in their homes or accelerate their leave from shelter and back into their communities

Economic Mobility Goals

1. Close the gender pay gap for the same work
2. Close the female labor force participation gap
3. Drive to parity in gender representation among the top 40 highest paying occupations
4. Drive to parity in gender representation among NYC business ownership

Health Goals

1. Reduce pregnancy-associated mortality among Black women by 10%
2. Reduce breast cancer mortality by 10%, with a focus on reductions among Black women
3. Increase percentage of 13-year-olds with completed HPV series by 40%
4. Reduce annual HIV diagnosis rates for Black and Latina women by at least 50%
5. Reduce the percentage of public high school girls who report feeling sad or hopeless by 10%

Public Safety & Housing Stability Goals

1. Reduce felony domestic violence assaults by 25%
2. Reduce homicides involving women victims by 30%
3. Increase families with children exiting shelter into permanent housing by 25%

Thank You to Our Women Forward NYC Corporate Partners