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The Reality of the Wage Gap in Massachusetts
According to the recent “State of Women: A County By County Report on the Status of Women & Girls in Massachusetts,” women earn less than men in EVERY county in Massachusetts-an average of 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Not only does this impact their ability to be economically self sufficient and provide for their families, but it affects women’s abilities to access education, housing, healthcare, childcare, investments, retirement, etc.
In response to this profound wage gap, the Massachusetts Coalition for Women’s Wage Equality formed as a broad based, statewide coalition of dynamic organizations and individuals committed to endorsing pay equity for women of the Commonwealth.
The Coalition’s goal is to support and advocate for equitable compensation for women who are employed in jobs that require comparable skills, efforts, responsibilities, and working conditions to those of men.
Quick Links on Pay Equity:
Facts and Figures: How much is the wage gap costing you?
Current Massachusetts Legislation
Get Involved!
Links to Coalition Members
Links to Other Pay Equity advocacy groups and organizations
Facts and Figures: How much is the wage gap costing you?
The Wage Gap in Massachusetts:
Women in Massachusetts have among the highest earnings in the country; however, the Commonwealth ranks just 20th for women living above the poverty line
The average weekly salary for a woman in Massachusetts is $666, while a man’s is $842
Single-parent families headed by women represent 72% of the families living below the poverty line in Massachusetts
The Wage Gap in the United States:
Women who work full time and year round made 77% of men’s earnings in 2005.
A female high school graduate loses $700,000 in her lifetime.
A female college graduate loses $1.2 million, and a professional school graduate loses $2 million.
The wage gap has been stalled for more then a decade.
Each time a woman is turned down for a job based on sex, she loses that time earning money.
Pregnancy Plays a Factor in Wage Inequity:
Many women are laid off during their pregnancy and when they return are refused a job or given a lower paying position then before they left.
Most managers believe new mothers prefer to spend more time at home taking care of their children. Mothers are also seen as unreliable.
New fathers usually get raises when they have a child because they now have a growing family to support while women are paid less for the exact same reason.
Race Widens the Wage Gap:
| Median Incomes of Massachusetts Women*: | Earnings Ratio Between Massachusetts Women and White Men: |
| Hispanic Women: | $25,500 | 51.3% |
| Native American Women: | $28,700 | 60.9% |
| African American Women: | $32,000 | 64.4% |
| Asian American Women: | $34,000 | 68.4% |
| White Women: | $36,400 | 73.3% |
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Current Massachusetts Legislation
An Act to Authorize the Human Resources Division to Undertake a Study of the State’s Job Classification System
Summary of Bill:
This bill would require the state’s human resources division to establish a job analysis study of state employees of the executive branch to update the current job classification system and review class titles, job specifications, organizational relationships and job qualifications to insure that employee compensation, pensions, and benefits are free from gender and racial bias. It would also establish a Workforce Advisory Council of experts to assist the human resources division with this work.
An Act Further Defining Comparable Work (Filed by Senator Jehlen)
Summary of Bill:
This legislation would define comparable work as “solely based on whether the two positions entail comparable skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions between employees of the opposite sex.”
Click here to go to MCSW's legislative page
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Get Involved!
There are several ways you can get involved with the Coalition!
Participate in Equal Pay Day at the State House in Boston on April 24, 2007!
April 23 commemorates the day women must work into the year in order to earn the same wages as men did in the previous year. Join the Coalition on April 24 at the State House in Boston. Events include keynote speaker Evelyn Murphy, former lieutenant governor and author of, Getting Even: Why Women Don’t Get Paid Like Men and What to do About it, a luncheon, and other speakers.
Attend a Public Hearing!
The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and the Massachusetts Coalition for Women’s Wage Equality have organized several public hearings around the state to gather testimony from women and find out the following:
How have you and your family been impacted by wage inequities
Has wage discrimination or pay inequities effected your ability to access housing, healthcare, childcare and educational opportunities?
Have you ever filed a wage inequity grievance/complaint/lawsuit?
2007 Public Hearing Schedule:
YWCA Western Massachusetts-Wednesday, January 17, 5:30-7pm
YWCA Boston-Wednesday, February 28, 5:30-7pm
Location TBA-Wednesday, March 28, 5:30-7pm
Amherst-Wednesday, April 25, 5:30-7pm
UMass Dartmouth-Wednesday, June 6, 5:30-7pm
Written and verbal testimony is always accepted. For more information, call the MCSW at 617-626-6520.
Join the Coalition!
We encourage and welcome your support at every level. Every organization committed to pay equity makes us one step closer to achieving our goals. We work to create a strong network for advancing pay equity and we encourage the broadening of ideas and knowledge through sharing with, and supporting, all coalition members. If you or your organization would like to be listed on coalition literature or you are interested in engaging in other types of support, please contact Jill Ashton, MCSW Outreach Coordinator, 617-626-6520.
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Links to Massachusetts Coalition for Wage Equality Members
Follow these links to learn more about the organizations that make up the Coalition:
American Association of University Women of Massachusetts
Big Sister Association of Greater Boston
Boston Women’s Fund
Cambridge Commission on the Status of Women
Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy
City of Boston Women’s Commission
Crittenton Women’s Union
Eastern Massachusetts OWL
Massachusetts Federation of Business and Professional Women
National Organization for Women-Massachusetts Chapter
Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus
SEIU 888
Somerville Commission for Women
Women’s Bar Association
Women’s Fund of Southeastern Massachusetts
Women’s Fund of western Massachusetts
YWCA-New England
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Links to Other Pay Equity Advocacy Groups and Organizations
Follow these links to learn more about organizations committed to advocating and achieving pay equity:
American Association of University Women-National
Institute for Women’s Policy Research
National Committee on Pay Equity
National Organization for Women
WAGE (Women Are Getting Even) Project
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