>> Sreenivasan: JUST THIS WEEK,

FEMALE EMPLOYEES AT GOOGLE

REFILED A LAWSUIT ALLEDGING THAT

MEN WERE PAID MORE THAN WOMEN

FOR THE SAME WORK IN ROLES FROM

ENGINEERING TO SALES.

IN APRIL OF LAST YEAR, THE

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TESTIFIED

THAT PAY INEQUITIES ARE

SYSTEMATIC AT THE TECH GIANT.

BUT THE ISSUE IS NOT LIMITED TO

ONE COMPANY.

DESPITE EQUAL PAY LAWS ON THE

BOOKS IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE

THE 1960s, WOMEN STILL EARN

ABOUT 80 CENTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR

THAT MEN EARN.

AND WHILE EFFORTS TO TIGHTEN

EQUAL PAY RULES HAVE STALLED AT

THE FEDERAL LEVEL, STATES AND

CITIES ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO

NARROW THE WAGE GAP.

MEGAN THOMPSON HAS THIS REPORT

ON EFFORTS BY THE CITY OF BOSTON

AND STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

THIS STORY IS PART OF OUR

ONGOING SERIES ON POVERTY AND

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA,

CALLED "CHASING THE DREAM."

>> Reporter: ABOUT A DOZEN YEARS

AGO, STEPHANIE GOODELL OF

SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, WAS

AN ASSISTANT DEAN AT A PUBLIC

UNIVERSITY.

SHE SAYS SHE FELT UNDERPAID AND

TRIED TWICE TO NEGOTIATE HER

SALARY BUT WAS ONLY GIVEN ABOUT

$2,000 MORE.

AND THEN, AFTER SHE LEFT, SHE

LOOKED UP THE SCHOOL'’S PUBLISHED

PAYROLL DATA.

>> I WAS REPLACED BY MY

OPERATIONS PERSON.

I'’D HAD 12 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

IN THE FIELD.

HE HAD HAD NONE, AND HE WAS

GIVEN A SALARY THAT WAS $15,000

MORE THAN MINE.

>> Reporter: WHAT WERE YOU

THINKING WHEN YOU FOUND THAT

OUT?

>> WAS MY WORK NOT VALUED?

DID HE HAVE NEGOTIATING SKILLS

THAT I DIDN'’T HAVE?

DID HE FEEL LIKE HE COULD GO IN

AND ASK FOR MORE, FOR WHATEVER

REASON, BECAUSE THAT'’S WHAT MEN

DO?

>> THE OVERALL DATA KEEPS

SHOWING THAT THERE'’S STILL THIS

ENORMOUS BIAS.

>> Reporter: EVELYN MURPHY IS

THE FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SHE'’S ALSO AN ECONOMIST AND AN

EXPERT ON THE WAGE GAP.

MURPHY SAYS WHILE WOMEN ARE

SOMETIMES PAID LESS THAN MEN FOR

THE EXACT SAME JOB, THEY ALSO

JUST EARN LESS OVERALL.

ACCORDING TO THE U.S. CENSUS,

WOMEN WORKING FULL-TIME IN THE

UNITED STATES EARN ABOUT 80

CENTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT MEN

EARN.

WHEN COMPARED TO WHITE MEN,

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN EARN 63

CENTS.

HISPANIC WOMEN EARN JUST 54.

WOMEN TEND TO WORK IN LOWER-

PAYING INDUSTRIES AND HOLD

FEWER HIGHER-PAID MANAGEMENT

ROLES.

TIME OFF AFTER HAVING A BABY CAN

AFFECT A WOMAN'S EARNINGS.

AND, EVELYN MURPHY SAYS, BIAS

CAN ALSO PLAY A ROLE.

>> THE OTHER WAY TO LOOK AT THE

WAGE GAP IS THAT IT IS A PROXY

FOR POWER.

THE POWER OF MEN IN WORKPLACE

OVER WOMEN.

AND SO, AS LONG AS THIS WAGE GAP

EXISTS, IT IS THE SIGNAL AND

THE MEASURE OF HOW UNEQUAL THE

POWER IS WITHIN THE WORKPLACE IN

AMERICA.

>> THANKS, ANNE.

>> Reporter: IN 2013, THE CITY

OF BOSTON DECIDED TO TACKLE THIS

INEQUITY WITH PROGRAMS FOR BOTH

EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES.

>> BY BOSTON HAVING EQUAL PAY

FOR EQUAL WORK, PUTS US ON A

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.

>> Reporter: MARTIN WALSH IS THE

MAYOR OF BOSTON.

IN 2015, HIS OFFICE LAUNCHED AN

EFFORT TO TRAIN WOMEN TO BE

BETTER SALARY NEGOTIATORS.

>> WE'RE ACTUALLY CHALLENGING

THE STATUS QUO.

>> Reporter: THE CITY TEAMED UP

WITH THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF

UNIVERSITY WOMEN, A NATIONAL

ADVOCACY GROUP, TO OFFER THESE

FREE SALARY NEGOTIATION

WORKSHOPS.

>> YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO GO FOR

A HIGHER NUMBER.

>> Reporter: THEY'VE TRAINED

MORE THAN 6,000 WOMEN SO FAR.

THE GOAL IS TO TRAIN 85,000 BY

2021, HALF THE WORKING WOMEN IN

BOSTON.

>> THE BIGGEST REASON, IT'S

FAIRNESS.

THE BIGGEST REASON IS THAT MEN

AND WOMEN WHO DO THE SAME JOBS

SHOULD BE PAID THE SAME SALARY.

>> AND IT REALLY HELPS WHEN IT

COMES TO PROMOTING YOURSELF.

>> Reporter: THESE WOMEN ARE

LEARNING ABOUT SALARY RESEARCH,

SETTING GOALS, AND THE

IMPORTANCE OF BEING CONFIDENT.

>> NOW YOU HAVE AN INVENTORY OR

A LISTING OF ALL OF THESE THINGS

THAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED.

>> Reporter: ONE SURVEY SHOWED

THAT HALF THE WOMEN WHO ATTENDED

A WORKSHOP USED THE SKILLS THEY

LEARNED TO NEGOTIATE HIGHER PAY.

BEFORE THIS WORKSHOP, DID YOU

NEGOTIATE WHEN YOU WERE OFFERED

A NEW JOB?

>> NO.

IT TOOK WHAT... YOU TAKE WHAT

YOU WERE OFFERED.

>> Reporter: SABRINA ANTOINE

ATTENDED A WORKSHOP A COUPLE

YEARS AGO.

>> AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE

BIGGEST THINGS THAT I'VE LEARNED

FROM THIS WORKSHOP, IS JUST

OWNING MY STORY AND BEING STRONG

IN WHO I AM AND WHAT I'M OUT TO

SEEK.

>> Reporter: AFTER THE WORKSHOP,

ANTOINE APPLIED FOR A PROMOTION

SHE'D PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT WAS OUT

OF REACH.

AND WHEN SHE GOT IT, SHE

NEGOTIATED A 30% INCREASE IN

HER SALARY.

>> WOMEN HAVE TO ACT TO GET

EMPLOYERS TO REACT, AND

EMPLOYERS HAVE TO ALSO SEE THE

VALUE OF PAYING WOMEN FAIRLY.

>> Reporter: AND THAT'S WHY THE

BOSTON WOMEN'S WORKFORCE

COUNCIL, WHICH MURPHY CHAIRS, IS

SETTING ITS SIGHTS ON EMPLOYERS,

TOO, GETTING THEM TO SIGN ON TO

SOMETHING CALLED THE "100%

TALENT COMPACT."

SO FAR, 227 EMPLOYERS

REPRESENTING ROUGHLY A QUARTER

OF METRO BOSTON'S WORKERS ARE

ON BOARD.

>> WE REVIEWED INTERNALLY ALL OF

OUR EMPLOYEES.

>> Reporter: STEPHEN DENNY

OVERSEES DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

FOR PUTNAM INVESTMENTS, A $170

BILLION ASSET MANAGEMENT FIRM.

IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST

COMPANIES TO SIGN BOSTON'S

COMPACT.

LIKE MOST FINANCIAL FIRMS,

PUTNAM IS MAJORITY MALE,

ESPECIALLY IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT.

EXACTLY THE KIND OF PLACE EQUAL

PAY ADVOCATES SEE AS RIPE FOR

CHANGE.

COMPACT SIGNERS LIKE PUTNAM

VOLUNTEER TO IDENTIFY PAY

DISPARITIES BETWEEN MEN AND

WOMEN DOING THE SAME JOBS.

YOU LITERALLY JUST... YOU

CREATED AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET

WITH EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE?

>> ALL OF OUR U.S. EMPLOYEES.

>> Reporter: AFTER TAKING A LOOK

AT ITS PAYROLL, PUTNAM ADJUSTED

PAY FOR ABOUT 3% OF ITS WORKERS,

IN SOME CASES RAISING PAY FOR

MEN AS WELL AS WOMEN, AND NOW

REVIEWS COMPENSATION EVERY YEAR.

>> WE LOOK AT IT THE SAME WAY,

POSITION BY POSITION.

AND WE MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T

COME ACROSS ANY INEQUITIES.

>> Reporter: BUT EQUALIZING PAY

FOR THE SAME JOBS IS ONLY PART

OF IT.

EMPLOYERS MUST ALSO THINK ABOUT

WOMEN'S OVERALL EARNINGS.

PUTNAM, WHICH NOW RECRUITS MORE

WOMEN INTO THE COMPANY, IS

OFFERING LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR

WOMEN AND PUT IN PLACE A SYSTEM

TO PROMOTE THEM INTO HIGHER-PAID

SENIOR POSITIONS.

>> WE'VE SEEN AN IMPROVEMENT OF

ABOUT 33% OF WOMEN MOVING INTO

SENIOR ROLES, WHICH IS

REMARKABLE FOR US HERE, BUT WE

KNOW WE CAN GET BETTER.

>> Reporter: ROBERT REYNOLDS IS

PUTNAM'S C.E.O.

>> I THINK IT'S A RIGHT WAY TO

RUN A BUSINESS, BUT IT'S ALSO

FAIR.

>> Reporter: IT IS TRUE, THOUGH,

THAT, YOU KNOW, ONLY ABOUT A

QUARTER OF YOUR INVESTMENT TEAM

ARE WOMEN.

THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT IS STILL

MAJORITY MALE.

SO, THERE IS STILL A WAGE GAP

HERE.

>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.

TO ME, IT'S A...IT'S A PROCESS.

BUT I THINK WE'RE MAKING GREAT

PROGRESS, AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR IT.

>> Reporter: ANOTHER INNOVATIVE

PART OF BOSTON'S WORK: DATA

COLLECTION.

EMPLOYERS LIKE PUTNAM

ANONYMOUSLY SUBMIT THEIR PAYROLL

DATA TO THE CITY.

BOSTON OFFICIALS SAY THEIR NEW

STATISTICS ARE MORE ACCURATE

THAN FEDERAL STATISTICS, WHICH

ARE COLLECTED FROM WORKERS.

THE SECOND REPORT, DUE OUT THIS

MONTH, SHOWS BOSTON'S WOMEN EARN

76 CENTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR MEN

HERE EARN.

EVELYN MURPHY SAYS, WHILE THE

PROGRAM IS VOLUNTARY, MAKING THE

NUMBER PUBLIC WILL HELP HOLD

BOTH THE CITY AND EMPLOYERS

ACCOUNTABLE.

>> THAT IS HUGE.

IT'S POWERFUL.

THERE'S NO OTHER PLACE IN THE

COUNTRY THAT IS MAKING THAT KIND

OF A BOLD STEP AND SAYING, "I'M

GOING TO REPORT PUBLICLY EVERY

TWO YEARS."

>> Reporter: WHILE ALL THIS WORK

HAS GONE ON AT THE CITY LEVEL,

THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS HAS

ALSO TAKEN AIM AT THE WAGE GAP.

IN 2016, IT PASSED SOME OF THE

STRONGEST EQUAL PAY LEGISLATION

IN THE NATION.

THE LAW, WHICH GOES INTO EFFECT

IN JULY, WILL REQUIRE EQUAL PAY

FOR COMPARABLE WORK, BAR

EMPLOYERS FROM PUNISHING

EMPLOYEES WHO DISCUSS SALARIES,

AND SAYS MATERNITY AND FAMILY

LEAVE CAN'T AFFECT SENIORITY.

IT WAS ALSO THE FIRST

LAW IN THE NATION TO BAN

EMPLOYERS FROM ASKING ABOUT

SALARY HISTORY.

>> ELIMINATING A SALARY HISTORY

FROM A QUESTION IN INTERVIEWING

FOR A JOB APPLICANT IS HUGE.

WE KNOW THAT A WOMAN'S SALARY

HISTORY CAN KEEP HER WAGES AND

THE DISCRIMINATION THAT EXISTED

INITIALLY, KEEP IT ROLLING

FORWARD TO EVERY OTHER JOB.

BECAUSE AN EMPLOYER WILL ASK,

"WHAT DID YOU EARN THE LAST

JOB?," AND THEN HIRE AT THAT

LOWER OR SLIGHTLY INCREASED

LEVEL, BUT NOT REALLY AT THE

VALUE OF THE JOB HE'S NOW ASKING

HER TO TAKE.

>> Reporter: BOSTON IS A LIBERAL

CITY, MASSACHUSETTS IS A LIBERAL

STATE.

I MEAN, SOME PEOPLE MIGHT

LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, "YES, OF

COURSE THIS KIND OF WORK CAN

HAPPEN HERE, BUT WE'VE GOT TO DO

IT ACROSS THE COUNTRY."

>> I'M VERY OPTIMISTIC RIGHT

NOW.

WOMEN ARE ALMOST HALF THE

WORKFORCE, SO OUR PRESENCE IS

NOW SO POWERFUL.

WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS A

TIGHT LABOR MARKET AND A NEED

TO COMPETE INTERNATIONALLY, SO

IT'S BECOME GOOD BUSINESS TO

TREAT WOMEN FAIRLY AND

EQUITABLY.

>> Reporter: BUT RECENTLY,

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS VETOED

EQUAL PAY BILLS IN NEW JERSEY

AND ILLINOIS, AND THE TRUMP

ADMINISTRATION REVERSED A

FEDERAL EQUAL PAY RULE REQUIRING

EMPLOYERS TO REPORT WAGE DATA.

OPPOSITION HAS COME MOSTLY FROM

THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, WHICH

CONSIDERS THE REGULATIONS

"GOVERNMENT OVERREACH" THAT

COULD INCREASE COSTS AND RED

TAPE.

JAMES ROONEY LEADS THE GREATER

BOSTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

WHICH REPRESENTS SOME OF THE

LARGEST EMPLOYERS IN

MASSACHUSETTS.

HE SAYS SOME OF HIS MEMBERS

BRISTLED AT THE NEW

REGULATIONS, TOO.

>> THE ISSUES THAT PEOPLE

RAISED WAS FEAR OF CREATING A

LITIGIOUS ENVIRONMENT, THAT IT

WOULD OPEN THE DOORS TO

LAWSUITS, PEOPLE MAKING CLAIMS

ABOUT WHETHER THEY WERE TREATED

FAIRLY OR NOT.

THE ABILITY... A SECOND ONE WAS

THE ABILITY OF THE LEGISLATURE

TO UNDERSTAND THE REASONS WHY

PEOPLE, MAN-WOMAN, MAN-MAN,

MIGHT MAKE A DIFFERENT AMOUNT OF

MONEY IN A JOB CATEGORY THAT IS

TITLED THE SAME.

>> Reporter: TO GET THE BUSINESS

COMMUNITY ON BOARD, THE

MASSCHUSETTS LEGISLATURE

RECOGNIZED JUSTIFICATIONS FOR

PAYING PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY, LIKE

SENIORITY, EDUCATION AND

EXPERIENCE, OR WHERE THE JOB IS

LOCATED; AND IT INCLUDED

PROVISIONS TO PROTECT EMPLOYERS

FROM LAWSUITS IF THEY CAN PROVE

THEY ARE EVALUATING PAY

PRACTICES AND HAVE MADE PROGRESS

ELIMINATING DIFFERENCES.

AFTER THE BOSTON CHAMBER OF

COMMERCE ANNOUNCED ITS SUPPORT,

THE BILL PASSED THE STATE

LEGISLATURE UNANIMOUSLY AND WAS

SIGNED BY THE STATE'S REPUBLICAN

GOVERNOR.

IT'S ALL BEEN WELCOME NEWS TO

STEPHANIE GOODELL, WHO LEFT

ACADEMIA AND NOW WORKS IN SALES

AT A CONSULTING FIRM THAT

PROMOTES DIVERSITY IN THE

WORKPLACE.

SHE NEGOTIATED FOR MORE HEALTH

CARE BENEFITS AND FOR BETTER

COMMISSION PAY AFTER PICKING UP

SKILLS AT ONE OF BOSTON'S

WORKSHOPS.

>> AND THAT ULTIMATELY WILL NET

ME UP TO SIX FIGURES OVER THE

NEXT TWO OR THREE YEARS,

DEPENDING ON HOW GOOD I AM AT

SELLING.

>> Reporter: AND THIS IS EXACTLY

WHAT MASSACHUSETTS IS AIMING

FOR: CLOSING THE WAGE GAP, ONE

EMPLOYER AND ONE WOMAN AT A

TIME.