Advertisement

It's Equal Pay Day — Mass. Treasurer Hopes Pay Calculator Will Narrow The Pay Gap

Treasurer Deb Goldberg moderated a "Women in Government" panel as part of an Equal Pay Day conference at the Omni Parker House on Tuesday featuring Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Karen Spilka, Attorney General Maura Healey and Boston City Council President Michelle Wu. (Antonio Caban/SHNS)
Treasurer Deb Goldberg moderated a "Women in Government" panel as part of an Equal Pay Day conference at the Omni Parker House on Tuesday featuring Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Karen Spilka, Attorney General Maura Healey and Boston City Council President Michelle Wu. (Antonio Caban/SHNS)

Did you know that at the current rate, the wage gap for women in Massachusetts will not close until 2058?

That's according to a new state website — EqualPayMA.com — that aims to close the gender wage gap by providing information and advice.

The site provides employers with a toolkit of resources and advice on how to effectively ensure pay equity at their company. It also features a wage gap calculator that estimates the implications of a wage gap in various professions over the course of a woman's life.

"Somebody can determine how much their gap is over an entire lifetime," deputy state Treasurer Alayna Van Tassel told WBUR's Newscast Unit, speaking of the calculator. "We think that's going to be a feature that a lot of Massachusetts residents are going to be really interested in using."

For instance, an average 30-year-old woman working in the health care support field makes $13 an hour to a man's $14. That translates to a difference of $26,000 over 35 years, according to the calculator.

Treasurer Deborah Goldberg unveiled the new site Tuesday at a Boston conference celebrating Equal Pay Day with panelists from the state and local government as well as the business community.

“Wage equality is not solely a women’s issue, it’s a family issue and affects the economic health and wellbeing of our entire state,” Goldberg said in a statement. “When women are paid as much as men for equal work, we all benefit."

Goldberg said she hopes the website will empower more people to help bridge the wage gap between men and women.

On Monday, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh published an op-ed in the Boston Business Journal, reiterating his support for closing the gap.

Last year, he announced a new initiative to try to help close the pay gap by offering women in the city free salary negotiation workshops. 

Related:

Headshot of Amy Gorel

Amy Gorel Senior Editor
Amy Gorel is a senior editor of digital news at WBUR.

More…

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close