Over 70 Groups and Businesses across Long Island Unite to Empower New York Women by Supporting Governor Cuomo’s Women’s Equality Agenda
(Mineola, NY) At a press conference at the steps of New York State Supreme Court in Mineola today, advocates stood with the New York Women’s Equality Coalition, Long Island Region comprised of more than 70 business leaders, women’s groups, labor groups, civil rights organizations, medical associations, and religious groups united in vigorous support of Governor Cuomo’s Women’s Equality Agenda. Coalition members stood united with one another and with eight other regional groups across the state, urging broad support of this historic Agenda.
During his January 9 State of the State address, the Governor presented the Women’s Equality Agenda, a 10-point plan to break down barriers women face in the most essential areas of life. The Women’s Equality Agenda will reduce discrimination in the workplace and in housing, improve women’s safety and wellbeing, and ensure equal treatment under the law. Support for the Governor’s Agenda began to grow immediately following his announcement and, to date, more than 750 businesses and organizations make up the statewide coalition.
“The unfortunate reality is women are still struggling in many areas of our society, bringing economic instability to our local families, businesses and communities,” said Ellen Redmond, the Long Island Coordinator for the NY Women’s Equality Coalition.
- Women in New York earn 84 percent of what men earn, and that disparity is even more drastic for African American and Hispanic women.
- Eighty-eight percent of public assistance cases for families are filed by women, and 71 percent of public housing units are occupied by female-headed households.
- Women who are pregnant or have children are less likely to be hired, promoted, or given raises.
- Women are five times more likely than men to be sexually harassed, and one in four women will experience intimate partner violence in her lifetime.
- Inequality persists throughout the course of a woman’s life, meaning a woman is twice as likely as a man to live out old age in poverty.
“New York has the power to solve many of these problems by simply amending state law,” said Amol Sinha, director of the Suffolk County Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union “Empowering women to once again make history in New York—the birthplace of the women’s rights movement a century and a half ago—requires that we level the playing field for women in the state.”
This Agenda, and the extraordinary range of businesses and groups supporting it onLong Island and throughout the state, underscores that full equality for women cannot be achieved by taking partial steps or by focusing solely on a single barrier to equality. Rather, the Governor has proposed an ambitious Agenda that recognizes that women’s struggles, and the solutions, are all interconnected.
“Women’s issues must be recognized in order to achieve gender equality in our society. The Women’s Equality Agenda includes 10 important points that will address women’s rights and provide protections against discrimination inNew YorkState. It will address the challenges which immigrant women face on a daily basis such as domestic violence, housing discrimination, sexual harassment, human trafficking and unequal pay” highlighted Martha Maffei, Executive Director of SEPA Mujer.
“The Women’s Equality Agenda will ensure that victims of discrimination really can vindicate their rights,” said Roy Klein, an attorney based in Melville. “By fixing a major flaw in New York State law and allowing victims of discrimination to collect attorneys’ fees, more women – who have the vast majority of discrimination cases – will be able to access the justice system.”
“Currently, employees of businesses with fewer than four workers are unable to file sexual harassment complaints with the state,” said Alyse Parise, founder and owner of the small business Walk Talk Connect. “Under the Governor’s plan, victims of sexual harassment – who are more likely to be women – will finally be able to file complaints regardless of the size of their employer.”
“Fifty years after the federal Equal Pay Act became law, women in New York only earn between 55 and 84 cents for every dollar that a man earns,” said Lillian Clayman of the Women’s Committee of the Long Island Federation of Labor. “The Women’s Equality Agenda will allow for more transparency and more accountability, so that all individuals can earn a fairer wage based on merit rather than gender.”
“After years of collecting, listening to, and telling stories of injustice and inequality experienced by women on Long Island, it is time for a change in policy,” said Serena Liguori of the Herstory Writers Workshop. “The Governor’s proposal is a groundbreaking attempt to provide opportunity to women from all walks of life in all corners of the state, so that all women can participate fully and equally in society.”
“I stand here today on behalf of the young women and girls in New York and Long Island who cannot be here to speak for themselves because I know that the women’s equality agenda will make a profound difference in their lives,” said Silkisha Sneed, student at SUNY Old Westbury and leader of the student group Women United.
