Economic Justice Education and Advocacy: Our Economic Justice Education and Advocacy program’s primary goal is to support our community by providing the following services and products:
- Wage Equity Awareness Campaign
- Comprehensive and customizable training and summits addressing the barriers faced by women, more specifically the occupational segregation of women in the workplace, dismantling glass ceilings, re-valuing the work historically and traditionally performed by women
- Providing advocacy and education about women in the workforce
- Community collaborations focused on bringing about awareness and grassroots changes
- Systemic change working with policymaker
In partnership with United Way of Bexar County and San Antonio, our project builds on YWCA San Antonio’s equity and advocacy program, to create awareness about
wage inequality which disproportionately impacts women of color.
Learn more about how women of color in San Antonio are still underpaid! Visit the Wage Gap page here.
“Why Can’t They Just…?” shares the stories of women, served by YWCA and within the YWCA community, who have been experiencing poverty – from intergenerational to situational – and explores the systemic barriers that prevent them from living better lives and realizing their goals.
The title, “Why Can’t They Just..?”, references questions often asked by those who blame individual choice, rather than systemic failure for poverty, including, “Why can’t they just work?” or “Why can’t they just stay in school?” and “Why can’t they just take better care of themselves?”.
Visit our microsite: Whycanttheyjust.org
Free Summit to help you increase your income! You won’t miss this chance to join community members who want to ensure all women in San Antonio earn what they are worth! Join us on March 4th at 9a to learn how to demand a higher salary, get professional headshots taken, and hear the latest data and insight on closing the wage gap in San Antonio and setting young women up for success in our city. The event will feature FREE breakfast & lunch, salary negotiation training, and much more! Register now!

Dr. Rogelio Saenz, Professor of Demography at the University of Texas at San Antonio, will serve as the keynote speaker and share his findings on the Status of Girls in San
Antonio.
Dr. Rogelio Sáenz is a sociologist and demographer at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he is a professor in the Department of Demography. He previously served as Dean of the College of Public Policy. Dr. Sáenz has written extensively in the areas of demography, Latina/os, race, inequality, immigration, COVID-19, health disparities, aging, public policy, and social justice. He is co-author of Latinos in the United States: Diversity and Change and co-editor of the International Handbook of the Demography of Race and Ethnicity. Dr. Sáenz regularly writes op-ed essays and research briefs for a variety of media and academic outlets throughout the country. He recently received the 2020 Saber es Poder Academic Excellence Award from the University of Arizona’s Department of Mexican American Studies and the 2021 Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award from the American Sociological Association. He also was just inducted to the UTSA Academy of Distinguished Researchers.
