Justice
One City's Quest to Erase the Gender Pay Gap
Boston is trying to ensure female workers earn as much as men by asking local companies to rethink perks like flexibility and child care.
Women make an average of 77 cents for every dollar a man makes on the job. And, while some Washington lawmakers want to address that gap via legislation, the city of Boston is trying a different method: a voluntary city compact, with specific practices that participating companies can implement.
The initiative, called the "100% Talent: The Boston Women's Compact," launched in late 2013, the brainchild of now-former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. With 50 businesses on board, the program has a way to go before measurable progress can be seen. But it has attracted some of the biggest employers in the city, such as the Boston Medical Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.