2023

Anne del Castillo

Senior Policy Advisor, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

“I choose not to internalize [limitations].”

In your opinion, what qualities make a “Power Woman”?

Compassion
Confidence
Curiosity
Collegiality
A “power woman” is someone who is always learning and growing while looking for ways to uplift others.

What do you think is the number one action we as a society can take toward empowering women and gender equality? (e.g. affirmative action)?

If only “society” was so aligned! I don’t think there is a way to prioritize just one action to achieve gender equality, because sexism and misogyny are so ubiquitous and ingrained in so much of our society. And the challenges are only compounded by socioeconomic status, education, immigration status, and race, to name just a few variables. At a basic level, we need to support and encourage women and girls to speak up for themselves, and on a broader level, we need to consistently advocate for women’s rights and not be lulled into taking for granted that our work is ever done.
I’m proud to live in a city that is committed to advancing gender equity. The NYC Commission on Gender Equity was created by law and works collaboratively with city agencies to dismantle institutional and societal discrimination and inequities for girls, women, intersex, transgender, and gender non-conforming and non-binary persons regardless of age, ability, ethnicity/race, faith, gender expression, immigration status, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.
When I was Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, we launched the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre in partnership with the New York Foundation for the Arts to address issues of underrepresentation of women in digital media, film, music, and theater. To date, the program has awarded $7.5 million to 343 media, music and theater projects. We also partnered with the Creative Arts Team at the City University of New York and a group of industry executives to establish Sound Thinking NYC, an innovative free program for New York City public high school students designed to address gender inequities in the music industry by providing mentorship, paid internships and free for-credit music production college courses at CUNY.
Programs like these are powerful ways to both signal the City’s broader commitment to uplifting women, while also putting real dollars behind our stated values.

Do you think that asking previous salary requirements in job interviews contributes to the pay gap between women and men? NY State outlawed this practice, should it be nationwide?

With women still earning, on average, 80 cents to every dollar earned by men, it seems clear that requesting previous salary history exacerbates the gender pay gap.
New York City was the first municipality in the nation to enforce a salary history ban. By prohibiting employers in New York City from inquiring about an applicant’s previous earnings, the law allows applicants who have been systemically underpaid, particularly women and people of color, to negotiate a salary based on their qualifications and earning potential rather than being measured by their previous salary. In 2020, New York State enacted a similar ban, and it’s encouraging to see more and more jurisdictions across the country following suit.
While salary history bans are certainly a step forward in addressing pay equity, there are many other factors that need to be addressed. Women working in the arts and creative industries—whether in the non-profit or commercial sectors—consistently make less than men, despite being over-represented in certain fields, such as non-profit arts administration or dance. In addition to the salary ban, New York City now has a pay transparency law (a similar state law goes into effect later this month), which requires employers to include a good faith pay range in all job advertisements. These measures are helping to reveal and drive awareness of the gender pay gap in ways that will hopefully lead to long-term change in compensation structures.

What was the defining moment or experience in your life that led you to where you are today?

I don’t really view any one particular experience as definitive. Each step leads to the next and if we’re paying attention, we will learn from each one as we advance along the journey.
I do think being a first generation American, an only child raised by a single mother, shaped my character in a very specific way. My mother is the second to youngest of 12 children—9 siblings and 3 cousins—raised by my grandparents and was one of only two siblings who emigrated from the Philippines to the U.S. While her sister moved to Los Angeles, my mother settled in New York and eventually created a community for herself and me. From an early age, she encouraged me to be independent (sometimes to her despair!), and it is that sense of self-determination that has led me to where I am today and continues to propel me forward throughout my journey.

“Legislators, priests, philosophers, writers, and scientists have striven to show that the subordinate position of woman is willed in heaven and advantageous on earth.” Simone de Beauvoir. Is this still a major stumbling block on the 21st century road to equality?

The toxic idea that women are somehow preordained to be subordinate to men has driven the roll-back of women’s rights here and abroad. While some may attribute this to a calculated agenda, the narrative persists in our everyday experience—from the language we use to the expectations we impose upon women and girls from a very young age.
A male friend recently pointed out that my college education, law degree and career afforded me a significant amount of privilege. I don’t disagree, but I also know that even with my academic degrees and professional achievements, as a woman of Asian descent, I still have an underlying fear of being cat-called, raped, assaulted, beaten or spat on in the street, or being told to go back to my country, or having my ideas dismissed outright simply on the basis of my race, ethnicity, and/or sex. These are scenarios that white cisgender men do not have to worry about.
I am reminded of America Ferrara’s monologue in the Barbie movie about how impossible it is to be a woman, in particular the line about how the system is rigged and how women are supposed to acknowledge that but also “always be grateful.” That we are still having these conversations 50 years after the women’s rights movement began shows just how far we still have to go to achieve equality.

What is your mantra? What phrase or parable best describes your approach right now?

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
I remember learning the Serenity Prayer in high school (I went to Catholic school) and have always found these words to be very grounding, particularly in my work in public service. In my previous role as commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and now in my current role as senior policy advisor at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, my focus is on supporting the recovery of our creative sectors, which are still struggling, especially with the end of pandemic era assistance programs compounded by the entertainment strikes. The NYC government is massive and is required to serve so many different needs. Recognizing the limitations of government while also challenging the system to be more innovative in its support of our arts and creative industries allows me to be a better advocate for our constituents.

How would you describe the changes in the political landscape for women over the past five years?

Baffling. On the one hand, we have more women in leadership positions in government than we’ve ever had. On the other, we are seeing a systematic roll-back of women’s rights.

Women are often placed in binaries. Strong and emotionless or weak and sensitive. How do you subvert these limitations and connect to all sides of womanhood?

These limitations are projections, not facts. I choose not to internalize them.

If you could have someone else’s job for a day, who and what would it be? Why?

I would love to be a member of the crew at the International Space Station to see how they work together, experience firsthand the vastness of space, and view our home planet from orbit. I have to believe that it would compel a meaningful shift in perspective.

What advice would you give to any aspiring Power Women?

Be kind to yourself and be mindful of the journey.

What steps do you take to obtain a healthy work/life balance?

I’ve started to dislike that phrase, as it suggests a false equivalency between work and life. Work is just one aspect of life, which also consists of relationships with family and friends, health and wellness, household obligations, and hobbies and interests. Each demands our attention in different ways and various forms of intensity at a given time. Being mindful of that is a way for me to maintain a sense of balance.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

I can’t really say I identify with a particular historical figure, perhaps because they are often written about in ways that make them larger than life. The ones I admire most are those who came from modest backgrounds or experienced great adversity and nonetheless effected transformative change with a small but significant act.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Dime con quien andas y te dire quien tu eres. My mother would often quote her father who spoke fluent Spanish and would do so especially when he wanted to make a point: “Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
My closest friends are a mix of cousins and friends dating back to early childhood, high school, and various chapters of my life. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, I reached out to them in a group email to ask for their help. It was hard to anticipate how I would respond to the treatment, so I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to need. Even though many of them had never met each other, they set up an email group to exchange ideas about what I might need and created a schedule to coordinate shifts to make sure I had help with follow up appointments, groceries, meals, errands. They thought of everything so I wouldn’t have to, and they kept it up throughout the six months I was in treatment.

What is your favorite book (fiction or non-fiction)?

Books are like music for me—I enjoy a wide range of genres and storytelling styles. I don’t think I could pick just one book or even a proper representative sample, any more than I could choose a favorite song.
I recently enjoyed reading Betty White’s memoir If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t). She had an incredible career well into her 90s. Should I be blessed to live as long as she did, I aspire to have that same spunk and good humor and ability to relate to people across generations.

What do you most value in your friends?

I value the way they approach everything from a place of love and accept my whole authentic self.

Which trait do you most deplore in yourself? In others?

Deplore is a strong word! I would say I get frustrated when I become too self-critical, which often manifests in replaying over and over in my head a scenario that I wish I had done differently. I’m working on that.
What I get most frustrated with in other people is their inability to see or consider things from a perspective that is outside of their own experience.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Self-sacrifice. At a certain point, you have to take care of yourself if you want to be able to help others.