At A Glance

The Center for Women in Government & Civil Society is a cornerstone of women’s leadership development, an academic research center, and a policy think tank which generates knowledge and provides analysis on issues facing women.

Statement of Purpose: CWGCS advances excellence in public service by facilitating balanced leadership; and promotes gender-responsive public policy that is shaped by women’s perspectives. The Center utilizes research, teaching, training and public education to accomplish its mission.

Goals, Objectives and Strategies:

GOAL 1: TO BROADEN ACCESS TO, AND SUPPORT FOR WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC SERVICE

• Objective 1: Broaden learning opportunities for women to renew and deepen knowledge of engagement in policy making, policy influencing and policy leadership.
• Strategies:
  • Offer leadership educational programming to renew and advance women’s knowledge
  • Promote understanding of the theory and practice of policy making and influencing.
• Current Programs:
  • Fellowship on Women & Public Policy;
  • NEW Leadership New York

• Objective 2: Create and disseminate knowledge about women’s policy leadership, impact and representation to advance public understanding.
• Strategies:
  • Conduct research and scholarship on the status of women and their representation in public policy in NYS and the nation; including factors affecting women’s political participation and leadership.
  • Facilitate affiliated faculty/scholars research in the area of gender and political leadership.
  • Encourage collaborative research projects that develop intellectual advances and resources to further enrich the policy arena with women’s perspectives.
  • Where appropriate, foster international collaboration in research on women’s leadership in the Global South.

• Objective 3: Promote policies that fully tap into the talents of both men and women as decision makers.
• Strategies:
  • Convene forums and conferences
  • Issue policy briefs to raise awareness about balanced leadership and offer recommendations.

GOAL 2: TO STRENGTHEN THE INSTITUTIONAL BASE FOR GENDER-RESPONSIVE POLICIES, PRACTICES AND APPROACHES WITHIN SECTORS

• Objective 1: Conduct research which facilitates transformative gender-responsive institutional practices
• Strategies:
  • Work in partnership with government and civil society organizations to develop, test and disseminate replicable women-centered organizational-level interventions.
  • Develop technical standards, best practices, tools, resources and replicable models for promoting gender mainstreaming within organizations.
• Current Programs:
  • Improving Family Planning Services through Language Assistance;
  • Project Numbers & Futures

• Objective 2: Conduct training and education to facilitate transformative gender-responsive institutional practices
• Strategies:
  • Deliver educational programming that build governmental and non-governmental organizations’ capacity to mainstream gender practices into their operations.
• Current Programs: Nontraditional Employment & Training

• Objective 3: Analyze and recommend policies that foster gender-responsive practices
• Strategies:
  • Issue policy briefs to raise awareness about gender-responsive approaches/practices and offer recommendations.
• Current Programs: Immigrant Women & State Policy

• Outcomes
  • Citizens engaged in strengthening democratic values and committed to a representative and inclusive democracy
  • Public servants educated and informed about gender-related issues
  • A cadre of women prepared for policy leadership
  • Policy makers and policy activists informed on issues related to women and their families
  • Enhanced quality and access to service for all women
  • Organizational structures and policies that promote gender-responsive policies