Women Creating Change to Host “The Cost of Living in NYC” Symposium
New York, NY – March 23, 2026 – Women Creating Change (WCC), in partnership with Women.NYC, will convene policymakers, labor leaders, entrepreneurs, funders, advocates, and community members for The Cost of Living in NYC: Economic Justice, Work, and the Future of Opportunity, taking place May 7, 2026, at the LeFrak Theatre at Barnard College.
Full-time work in New York City no longer guarantees stability. Rising costs for housing, transportation, caregiving, healthcare, and debt are outpacing wages, benefits, and workplace protections. For women and gender expansive New Yorkers, especially women of color, immigrants, and caregivers, these pressures accumulate over time and reflect deep structural inequalities.
This symposium shifts the conversation from affordability to economic dignity.
New York City’s economy depends on care workers, human services providers, frontline laborers, educators, and small business owners. These sectors are dominated by women and immigrants, yet many of the people sustaining the city are being priced out. Workforce instability is not a personal hardship. It is a civic and economic risk.
“We cannot call this a thriving city if the people who power it cannot afford to live here,” said Sharon Sewell-Fairman, President and CEO of Women Creating Change. “Economic dignity is foundational infrastructure. When wages, caregiving systems, housing, and workforce protections are misaligned, the burden falls disproportionately on women. This is about building systems that value work and the people who do it.”
As part of WCC’s 2026 focus on key issues, The Cost of Living in NYC builds on findings from the State of NYC Women Conference and examines occupational segregation, pay inequity, unpaid care work, and long-term economic insecurity.
Economic Security Is Unsustainable
The symposium will explore how workforce instability affects housing, healthcare, and caregiving. It will also examine how AI and automation are reshaping jobs and highlight reskilling, workforce transitions, and entrepreneurship as ways to support economic mobility.
Participants will gain:
- A framework for understanding the cost of working and living in New York City
- Insight into how wages, benefits, caregiving, and housing systems intersect
- Policy and systems level strategies to stabilize and retain the city’s workforce
- A forward looking lens on AI, automation, and inclusive economic transitions
- Strategies to expand access to entrepreneurship, capital, and business support
- Cross sector partnerships designed to strengthen economic opportunity
Grounded in WCC’s research on economic security and pay equity, this symposium emphasizes that women’s economic stability is essential to sustaining New York City’s workforce and civic life.
Why This Moment Matters
New York City is at a turning point. Economic pressures are changing who can afford to remain in the city. The Cost of Living in NYC brings together policymakers, workforce leaders, entrepreneurs, funders, researchers, nonprofit executives, and advocates to address these challenges.
Without structural investment, inequality will deepen and displacement will accelerate. The symposium is supported by JPMorgan Chase, whose partnership advances equitable economic opportunity and workforce stability for women and gender expansive New Yorkers.
About
Women Creating Change (WCC), formerly known as the Women’s City Club of New York, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan activist organization dedicated to advancing women’s rights and shaping the future of New York City. Founded in 1915, WCC works to advance gender and racial equality by equipping women of color, women experiencing financial hardship, and gender-expansive individuals, with the knowledge, tools, and resources to advocate for the issues that matter most to them. WCC collaborates with partners, policymakers, and advocacy groups to drive real change in economic opportunity, education, healthcare, safety, reproductive justice, and environmental justice. WCC connects women with key stakeholders to learn, act, and engage. We empower women to lead change, shape policy, and strengthen communities, redesigning systems for a more equitable New York City. At WCC, we believe every woman has the power to make a difference. Visit wccny.org.
Media Contact
For interview requests or media inquiries, please contact Lynsey Billet at [email protected] or 347-361-8449.