Women in Power: Impact Analysis of NYC’s Women-Majority City Council

New York made history in 2021 when Ranked Choice Voting contributed to electing a women of color majority on the city council. What is the policy impact, two years later?

Art by Sally Rumble

[Editor’s note: two years after the historic election of a women-majority city council in New York City, RepresentWomen, the nation’s leading advocate for the systemic changes needed to elect more women, has produced an important new report on the impacts of women’s new leadership role in NYC politics (DemocracySOS first reported on this mini-revolution a year ago, see “NYC makes history with a majority-women city council”). Now in a DemocracySOS exclusive, we are publishing an excerpt from RW’s new report (the report contains extensive footnotes and documentation, to access those footnotes see the full report at this link). The excerpts below have been lightly edited for length and to preserve the narrative through-line. ]

The underrepresentation of women in elected office is a persistent problem at all levels of government in the United States. Despite making up over half of the U.S. population, women hold less than one-third of all elected positions. These rates of representation are far from sufficient if we are to live in a full and fair democracy.

RepresentWomen seeks to understand the true extent of this crisis of representation, and to identify practices and structures to improve representation. Through the years, RepresentWomen has found that a “twin-track” approach, which combines systems-level and candidate-level strategies, is the most effective method to achieve and sustain gender balance in our lifetimes.

In 2021, a twin-track approach helped to bring about the first woman of color majority council in New York City’s history. Women won 31 out of 51 city council seats, with a majority of seats held by women of color. The presence of ranked choice voting, a small-dollar matching funds program, term limits and organizations like the political leadership incubator the New Majority NYC, all worked alongside one another to elect these women to office.

This unprecedented moment created headlines as journalists and New Yorkers alike tried to predict the impact this would have on the city. While past councils did not completely ignore what has typically been deemed “women’s issues,” the newly elected woman majority council vowed to place these issues at the forefront of their agendas, as well as others that disproportionately impact women.

Now nearly two years after the election of a woman majority council, RepresentWomen studied the impact of this council on local politics. The questions we strove to answer in this study included:

1. What are the primary benefits of having a woman majority council?

2. What challenges and barriers remain, despite a woman majority, and what needs to be done to sustain a gender-balanced council?

3. Which legislation passed by women in the past session is most notable and why?

4. Why were women essential in getting these issues to the table? Would these issues have been addressed otherwise?

To answer these questions, this report examined legislation from the New York City Council that was focused on women's political power, as well as first-hand accounts from women in the council and involved with the council.

Valuing Diversity in Local Governance

Local-level politics directly impact how city residents live day-to-day; this is where decisions regarding school budgets, city parks, maternal healthcare, pay equity, and more are made. However, because voters as well as media coverage increasingly attach themselves to national-level issues, local issues are then not addressed. This furthers the disconnect between local policy and the everyday problems voters face. Diversity in governance, both in terms of gender and race, brings a wider variety of approaches to problem-solving and collaboration, as well as differing legislative priorities.

In New York City, the women currently serving on the council vowed to bring their experiences within their communities to the legislative table. RepresentWomen’s New York City research demonstrates the women on the council have done just this. A woman majority council in NYC has had a positive impact on ensuring women’s health and reproductive rights, women obtaining leadership positions, and dismantling existing structural barriers within the council. It also has resulted in passage of significant legislation and policy that is benefiting all New Yorkers. Regarding internal operations, having a women Speaker of the City Council has facilitated a great number of women in leadership positions, such as committee chairs.

Based on a research methodology involving legislative research and interviews with members in or associated with the New York City Council, this report highlights legislative wins that likely would not have occurred without a women majority. It then analyzes the impact of a woman speaker and the dynamics within the Women’s Caucus. Lastly, this report summarizes continued barriers and persistent dynamics that disproportionately affect women council members’ ability to serve.

The Issues:  Reproductive Rights and Women’s Health

The issue most impacted by a woman majority council was reproductive rights. Only a few weeks after the 2022 Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision, the Council enacted the six-piece NYC Abortion Rights Act. The Act ensured continued bodily autonomy for New Yorkers as well as expanded access to abortion and reproductive healthcare. The council also committed $1 million in funding to abortion care, the largest ever allocated in the country.

In June 2022, the council passed an 11-bill legislative package addressing maternal health and mortality disparities faced predominantly by Black, Latinx, and indigenous women. In May 2023, Councilmember Amanda Farías spearheaded a menstrual healthcare legislative package that included requiring the Department of Corrections to provide feminine hygiene products, requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide written educational materials on feminine hygiene products, and redefining “feminine products” to include menstrual cups.

More broadly, in June 2023 Councilwoman Julie Menin served as the primary sponsor for a bill incentivizing healthcare accountability by allowing New Yorkers to compare healthcare costs at private versus public hospitals online. Notably, this measure had only women sponsors and passed with a 50-0 vote.

Maternal and menstrual health are often overlooked due to gender bias and stigma. If an issue such as access to doulas or menstrual health education is brought up, it may not be prioritized if no one at the table has a relevant lived experience. Having a woman majority council has led to legislation which has a tangible effect on women and New Yorkers alike.

“I have no idea why states would tax [tampons] as luxury items...I suspect it’s because men were making the laws when those taxes were passed.”

- President Barack Obama

When the city council passed a historic maternal health package that helped address racial disparities, the first black female Speaker of the city council, Adrienne Adams, said: “This package of legislation is an important step to eliminate the inequities so that all women and birthing people are safe and protected. I am proud of this women-majority Council for prioritizing solutions to this dire crisis. When women are in leadership and the majority to make our laws, we lead on longstanding issues of significance that are critical to equitable access to health and safety.”

Women’s Leadership: The Ripple Effect of a Woman Speaker

In addition to women having the majority of seats on the council, women also hold most of the leadership positions. Women chair 27 of the 39 council committees and subcommittees. Before the women-majority council, in the years 2021 and 2017, there were no more than 10 women chairs and the majority of those committees were pigeonholed as being focused on “women’s issues.” But Speaker Adams’ leadership has allowed women councilmembers to take on leadership roles within prominent committees, such as the Committees on Economic Development, Public Safety, Transportation, Contracts, and Housing. Speaker Adams’ appointments of these women exemplify the ripple effect created by women in leadership positions.

Under the leadership of Speaker Adams, $60 million have been allocated to Cost-of-Living-Adjustments for human service workers, $10 million for a program providing child care for undocumented children, and eight related bills expanding access for working families while advancing professional opportunities for women.

The Women’s Caucus: A Built-in Majority

In 2023, the Women’s Caucus has 28 members (55% of the council)–a built-in majority. Within the Women’s Caucus, there are experienced lawyers, social workers, teachers, and more. Many issues have been introduced in part due to the lived experiences of the council members themselves.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City experienced a baby formula shortage. Councilwomen Julie Menin and Lynn Schulman, along with the other members of the Women’s Caucus, co-signed a letter to Mayor Eric Adams pushing for a state of emergency to be declared regarding formula price surges. This resulted in Executive Order 98, which protected families from formula price gouging, being issued within a few days.

Another example of collaboration on the Women’s Caucus is Resolution 0474-2023, “Recognizing February 21 as Mother Language Day in the City of New York.” Councilmember Amanda Farías (District 18), the primary sponsor of this legislation, represents a significant portion of NYC’s Bengali community. Councilmember Shahana Hanif (District 39), herself Bengali, worked with Councilmember Farías to create this resolution to ensure recognition and language access for all New Yorkers.

Legislation passed by the majority-women council ultimately has benefited all New Yorkers, including legislation that has discounted ferry services, expanded cost-of-living adjustments by $100 million for nonprofit workers, created salary transparency, expanded the city’s manufacturing activity, and ramped up childcare services for undocumented families.

Beyond a Legislative Impact

The impact of a woman majority council extends beyond just proposed and passed legislation. Before having a council with significant numbers of women, including pregnant women and nursing mothers, City Hall had never needed a proper lactation room. This highlights how our systems and institutions, down to the buildings themselves, were not set up to include women. Notably, City Hall now does have lactation facilities due to the efforts of the women council members and the swift response of Speaker Adrienne Adams.

Moreover, women are disproportionately impacted by New York’s meeting attendance requirements. Women are often primary caretakers, and as members of the council, they must sometimes decide between attendance and caregiving. If women choose to stay home, with no option for hybrid work, they are docked for attendance. Teleworking is not yet an option for council members. Rethinking these laws and funding on-site childcare would help to remedy this imbalance created by decades of men-dominated city councils.  

A study of gender balanced city councils in cities such as Las Cruces, New Mexico (100% women), Boston, Massachusetts (62% women), Providence, Rhode Island (53% women), and St. Petersburg, Florida (50% women) would show whether woman majorities have similar impacts in other localities.

Conclusion

This analysis found that, in line with existing research, women in elected office show that there are tangible benefits from having diversity at the decision making table. Women legislators more effectively legislate on women’s issues, including maternal health, menstrual equity, childcare access, and reproductive rights. The women councilors have also had a strong impact on gender-neutral legislation that has benefited all New Yorkers. Having a woman speaker at the helm of a woman majority council, and more women chairing a variety of committees, also has had a positive impact.

While barriers persist, the enormous impact created by these women likely contributed to all 30 incumbent women winning their June 2023 re-election primaries. Women in leadership positions have created a ripple effect, enabling women to uplift one another and reduce bias across the council.  Diversity on the council has led to a shift in priorities. Since the majority women of color council better mirrors the demographics of the city, this has allowed a wider variety of issues to be brought to the table.

Steph Scaglia @ScagliaSteph