About the Center

Mission

The Center for the Women of New York helps women overcome financial, violence, social, wellness, and legal issues by raising awareness and advocating for full gender equality for women, understanding their needs, and connecting them with CWNY services, nonprofit partner organizations, and public resources to aid, uplift, and address their challenges.

About CWNY

At Center for the Women of New York, we believe education is a cornerstone of women’s economic independence. To that end, CWNY offers support groups for caregivers and women in crisis, workshops, and classes on topics such as domestic violence, trafficking awareness, career advancement, financial literacy, sustainable gardening, and English as a Second Language to enable women to gain employment and rise in the workplace.

We advocate strongly for women’s full equality by partnering with like-minded organizations and elected officials. We participate in women’s marches and organize symposia on topics like domestic violence and human trafficking. We help women in crisis through referrals to social services.

Center for the Women of New York

The Center has shown that women working together can be an effective force. We are a voluntary, non-profit organization, dependent on dues from our members and on the volunteer efforts of business, professional and community women and men in New York City. Whether we’re marching for worthy causes, celebrating women’s accomplishments in leadership, the arts, or sports, camaraderie is a hallmark of CWNY. We’ve come a long way since the Second Wave of the Women’s Movement in the latter half of the 20th century, and while there are many struggles ahead, we love getting together to celebrate how far we’ve come.

Our history

Ann Jawin photo
Ann Juliano Jawin
1922 – 2019

Center for the Women of New York was founded in 1987 by Ann Juliano Jawin, the author of one of the first books dedicated to women’s need for financial independence and equal workplace opportunities. Part of the “Second Wave” of women’s liberation in the 1970’s, Ann joined the National Organization for Women and became Chair of the Task Force for Education and Employment. As a career guidance specialist, Ann saw the results of inequality in the workforce as it affected all levels of women seeking financial stability and career opportunities.

The first actions of CWNY shone a spotlight on domestic violence. We helped spearhead the effort in the courts to overcome legal obstacles to providing adequate protection for women who live in crisis situations. Our efforts in this area continue. We partner with other groups working in this vital area to provide services to victims and for educational programs aimed at prevention of these crimes.

Read an interview with our founder, Ann Jawin, at Veteran Feminists of America.