Census numbers expose wide pay gap

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - Massachusetts ranks low among states that pay men and women equally.

A recently released American Association of University Women (AAUW) guide ranked Massachusetts 37th in the country. Neighboring states like New Hampshire and Connecticut are not far ahead.

“I have quite a bit of privilege, I'm an educated woman, I have a good job and I had the opportunity to speak up about it,” said Associate Director of Accommodation Services at UMass Amherst, AnnMarie Duchon.

What Duchon spoke up about is problem that dates back to the Kennedy Administration; equal pay. She's worked at UMass since 2004 and was making $2,000 less, a year, than her male counterpart.

“The expectation was sort of like, yeah we know it stinks but that's what we had to do,” said Duchon inside her Amherst office.

But she didn't give up, and after seven years of employment was approved an equity increase.  She even took her fight to Capitol Hill and testified in favor of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Duchon's story resonates among women who, on average, make 77 cents to every dollar a man earns. The AAUW dissected recent census figures and found Washington, D.C topped the list of states that worked towards equal pay.

Massachusetts’ ranking didn't surprise Bridget Hynes of Amherst.  “Not really, no, I think that Massachusetts it's still a hard place for women. Gender equity isn't our strongpoint,” said Hynes in Hadley.

Still, some critics blame the pay gap to a man's ability to parley salaries and a woman's choice to start a family.

“No I think it's just the “old boys’ school.” Men are giving out the raises and they are giving them out to the men,” said retired engineer, and West Brookfield resident, Tom Catacchio.

Catacchio told 22News he witnessed gender pay inequality in his field.

The Institute of Women's Policy Research says the wage gap will cost women anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million in lost wages over the course of their working life.