Bridging Opportunity Gaps in Hiring and Advancement for Women and Marginalized Workers

A Panel Discussion and Resource Fair for Employers and Community Members. Hosted in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for Women’s Advancement.

 

Boston equal pay DaY significance

The Boston Women's Workforce Council's (BWWC) 2021 Wage Gap analysis points to April 20th as Boston Equal Pay Day, the day in the calendar year when Greater Boston women will finally earn the same as men the previous year.

In recognition of Boston Equal Pay Day, the Boston Women's Workforce Council (BWWC) and the Mayor's Office of Women’s Advancement (MOWA) brought together Greater Boston employers, City partners, and community members to discuss the unique barriers of specific industries in recruiting/retaining marginalized candidates and identify new strategies and existing resources to bridge the opportunity gaps.

Panel Dicussion RECORDING

 
 
 

Welcome Remarks

“What we believe creates this pay difference is something called the ‘power gap’ – where women, and particularly BIPOC women, are not advanced at the same rate as men and, therefore, never receive the senior salaries that could close these overwhelming gender and wage gaps… closing the gap will take true culture change which does not happen overnight.”

- Kimberly Borman, Executive Director, Boston’s Women Workforce Council

 “I encourage each of you to also think about the underlying issue that comes from the wage gap. Affordability, access to quality education, child care, accessibility for women of color, housing and most importantly equity and inclusion.”

- Alexandra Valdez, Executive Director, Mayors Office for Women’s Advancement

 

Panel dicussion and q & a

Speakers Include:

  • Angela Liu, Interim President, Hack.Diversity

  • Trinh Nguyen, Chief of Worker Empowerment, City of Boston

  • Mary Skelton Roberts, Philanthropic Advisor and Strategist; Board of Directors Member, Amplify Latinx (moderator)

  • Ron Taylor, Executive Vice President and Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Natixis Investment Managers

“We focus a lot on the difference between intent and impact…. [employer partners] have the intention they care about racial equity, parity.. but then what are your actions demonstrating and are you willing …. to be transparent about it and be vulnerable when you’re making mistakes” - Angela Liu

“Childcare is a respected industry, a needed one, if we want women back in the workforce… we need to focus on childcare … we need to respect the industry, to give good quality pay, flexibility, and affordability” - Trinh Nguyen

“How we have effectively tried to mitigate unconscious bias…  is constant…  It is not a one and done” - Ron Taylor

  • Arbella Insurance

    Arbella is a regional property and casualty company selling personal and business insurance products in Massachusetts and Connecticut and business insurance products in Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

    Boston University, Software & Application Innovation Lab (SAIL)

    SAIL is the premier professional research, software engineering, and consulting lab within the Hariri Institute for Computing at Boston University (BU).

    City of Boston

    Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement (MOWA)

    MOWA’s mission is to promote gender equity by empowering women and removing systemic barriers to their advancement.

    PowerCorps BOS

    PowerCorpsBOS is a green jobs program providing young adults with training, career readiness support, and connections to employers in the green industry. PowerCorpsBOS pays members to participate in hands-on training that prepares them for living-wage careers.

    Worker Empowerment Cabinet

    The Worker Empowerment Cabinet advances the well-being of Bostonworkers in the public and private sectors. Our goals include: (1) setting the City’s future policy and vision for workers; (2) regulating, overseeing, and improving workplace conditions and health for workers, and; (3) expanding economic opportunities for workers through quality jobs, skills training, and career pipelines.

    Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW)

    MCSW is a state-established body charged with reviewing the status of women in MA in a way that would improve access to opportunities and equality.

    MomUp

    MomUp is a mission-based recruitment firm that is bringing humanity back into hiring. They partner with organizations that recognize and value the contributions of working parents and connect these employers with their incredible network of talent.

    Mujeres Unidas Avanzando (MUA)

    MUA has been meeting the educational needs of low-income Latina girls and women for nearly three decades, helping them prepare for higher education, employment, and personal fulfillment.

    Office of Economic Empowerment (OEE) - MA Treasury

    OEE is a department within the Office of the Treasurer and Receiver General of Massachusetts tasked with offering free and accessible financial education, promoting wage equality, and creating a bright future for children across the state.

    Suffolk University

    Suffolk University is a private higher education institution offering full- and part-time undergraduate, graduate, and law programs in Boston.

    The Trustees of Reservations

    For more than a century, The Trustees has been on the ground in communities across Massachusetts, working to protect special places, providing loving care of our reservations, building creative new programs to engage people, and sharing their expertise with neighbors and partners across the state.

    Women's Money Matters

    Women's Money Matters provides financial wellness programming to women living on low incomes.

    YW BOSTON

    YW Boston helps individuals and organizations change policies, practices, attitudes, and behaviors with the goal of creating more inclusive environments where women, people of color, and especially women of color, can succeed.

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