State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg is reaching out to the private sector and government agencies, gathering information about wages for men and women in different parts of the state.

Goldberg chaired a roundtable Friday at UMass Dartmouth where wage equity was the topic. Women in Massachusetts are generally earning 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

Dr. Michael Goodman / TSM
Dr. Michael Goodman / TSM
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Dr. Michael Goodman, the Director of the Public Policy Center at UMass Dartmouth, believes the competitive balance in the marketplace will gradually close that gap. "Our employers, just like most of our residents, I think are in favor of fairness and giving everybody a fair shake, and giving our mothers and sisters and wives and daughters the same kind of a break that we expect for our sons," said Goodman.

Goodman added, employers are realizing that shutting out half of the labor force is doing themselves and their business a real dis-service.

Treasurer Goldberg has formed an advisory committee on wage equality. The panel will spend the next year collecting ideas on ways to close the wage gap, and later developing an online tool kit to help businesses move toward equal pay.

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