Most people would recognize that it's unfair to pay women less than men for the same level and quality of work. But Boston leaders see something more: pay equity is attractive to women, who make up more than half of the highly educated labor force.
"Boston has pledged to become the first city in the country to eliminate the gender pay gap," writes Kelly Wallace in a May 19 CNN article about the city's efforts to become the "premier city for working women." Wallace's article describes Boston's approach.
"What's really significant is that Boston recognizes that this isn't just an issue of fairness and isn't just an issue of equity as a moral value," Professor Betsey Stevenson told CNN. "This is about competitiveness and having a competitive advantage."
Betsey Stevenson is an associate professor of public policy and economics at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. She is on leave serving as a member of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers.