Closing the Gender Pay Gap

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level career services, university relations and recruiting, and business affiliate professionals
Competency: Research
Fee: FREE (member); FREE (nonmember);

Summary

Women earn 83 cents for every dollar men make. And, when we look across categories such as race, education level, and occupation, that gap widens. NACE research has found that the pay gap starts right at the beginning of career, dispelling myths that the gap is the result of women prioritizing family over career. Instead, the pay gap is the result of a systematic inequity, not individual choices by women. Join us as we explore real-world solutions for dismantling systemic inequity in pay.
Presenters

Mary Gatta, Director of Research and Public Policy, NACE
Mary Gatta, Ph.D., is the director of research and policy at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), where she leads research on the employment of the college educated, and forecasts hiring and trends in the job market; tracks starting salaries, recruiting and hiring practices, and student attitudes and outcomes; and identifies best practices and benchmarks. She has more than 20 years of teaching, research, and advocacy experience working on issues of career education and workforce development in colleges and nonprofit associations. Prior to joining NACE, Dr. Gatta served as an associate professor of sociology at City University of New York-Guttman and faculty director of the Ethnographies of Work program. In addition, she was the research director at the Rutgers University Center for Women and Work and a senior scholar at Wider Opportunities for Women in Washington D.C. She has written numerous books, articles, and policy papers on education and work. Dr. Gatta also served on NJ Governor Phil Murphy's Labor and Workforce Development Transition Team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social science from Providence College and a master’s degree and doctorate in sociology from Rutgers University.

Deborah Liverman, Executive Director,Career Advising & Prof. Develop, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Career Advising and Professional Development
Deborah Liverman joined the MIT community in 1999 and has served in many roles at MIT. She sets the strategic direction for career advising and professional development (CAPD), the Institute's hub to explore and prepare for jobs, internships, fellowships, and medical or graduate school. She oversees career services, distinguished fellowships, prehealth advising, and professional development, which provide opportunities centered on career development and success for students, postdoctoral scholars, and alumni. Through strategic collaborations, department engagement, and student input, Dr. Liverman and her team provide career and professional development exploration and success. Dr. Liverman previously worked at MIT in many roles, including as the director of career services and special assistant to the dean of undergraduate education on strategic initiatives. She received her B.A. from Davidson College, M.Ed. from the University of South Carolina, and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. She presents at regional and national conferences on college students' career outcomes, working with students from diverse backgrounds, graduate students' careers, pay equity, and recruiting in the STEM field. Dr. Liverman volunteers her service on regional and national associations, holds positions on service committees, and mentors early career professionals.

Mary Jane Daly, Professional Development Director, Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Career Advising and Professional Development
Mary Jane Daly is a Lecturer and Professional Development Director in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) at MIT. Leading the DUSPConnect team, she provides professional development guidance to students and graduates, and leads the department’s alumni and employer relations efforts. While President of AMITA (the Association of MIT Alumnae), Mary Jane co-founded the AMITA Pay Equity Task Force and later, with MIT’s CAPD Executive Director, Deborah Liverman, the MIT Equal Pay Working Group. The group’s aim is to heighten awareness among students and alum of the issue of pay inequities and to provide resources to equip them to address these challenges. At the same time, the group works with employers to encourage practices that can help to address the systemic nature of this problem.