New York City Mission Society President on #IWD

New York, N.Y. – Elsie McCabe Thompson, President of the New York City Mission Society, issued the following statement on International Women’s Day 2017:

“Today, as we celebrate the women in our lives, the disparities are startling: while women represent the majority of workers in many sectors of our workforce – in healthcare, in education, and in the nonprofit world – their presence is in the uppermost echelons is non-existent, or minimal at best.

When you consider that women represent 90% of our nurses, 75% of our teachers, and 75% of those working for nonprofits, it’s alarming and discouraging that significantly fewer women (1.6% of health CEO’s over the past decade, 14% of school administrators, and 45% of nonprofit leaders) hold the top executive leadership posts.

Sadly, women are grossly underrepresented in leadership positions in every single sector of the economy. Only 14.6 percent of executive officers are women, even though they make up 52% of the professional workforce, according to the Center for American Progress.

It was nearly a century ago when women first earned the right to vote in our country, 84 years since a woman first became our Secretary of Labor, and 52 years since our country banned discrimination based on gender. There have been many more advancements in the women’s rights movement, but there also have been setbacks and failures of leadership to help protect and advance the rights of women.

Today, as we mark International Women’s Day, we must redouble our efforts. We must recommit to help the women in our lives – our mothers, daughters, friends and neighbors – so that they can scale to new heights based on their talent and qualifications, and not be held back because of their gender.

For more than two centuries, the New York City Mission Society has worked tirelessly to help the underserved, to lift people up from poverty, and to level the playing field for those women and men who have struggled to make ends meet. I am proud to lead an organization that endeavors to help all – no matter their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity – to achieve equality in the workforce and in their lives.”

About the New York City Mission Society

The New York City Mission Society has been on the frontlines of the war on poverty for more than 200 years. Today, our progressive portfolio of educational, workforce development, cultural enrichment, and community-building programs make a positive, long-term impact on the City’s most underserved communities by promoting academic achievement, and providing career opportunities and cultural enrichment. Each year, we serve more than 12,000 children and families throughout New York City with our programs, supportive services, and community events. Learn more at http://www.nycmissionsociety.org.