Editing Equal pay for equal work (section)

==== Massachusetts ====
In August 2016, Massachusetts Governor [[Charlie Baker]] signed a bill to improve upon the already existing Massachusetts Equal Pay Act. On July 1, 2018, this updated amendment went into effect to protect employees from being asked their previous salary by their current employer.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Asgari|first1=Maryam M.|last2=Carr|first2=Phyllis L.|last3=Bates|first3=Carol K.|date=April 5, 2019|title=Closing the Gender Wage Gap and Achieving Professional Equity in Medicine|url=http://weli.pedsanesthesia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Closing-the-Gender-Wage-Gap-and-Achieving-Professional-Equity-in-Medicine.pdf|journal= JAMA|volume=321|issue=17|pages=1665–1666|doi=10.1001/jama.2019.4168|pmid=30951141|s2cid=96436112}}</ref> Governor Baker sought change in the current system after recognizing that women in their respective fields, on average, were making 76 cents on the dollar compared to men doing the same job.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Efforts To Close The Gender Pay Gap In Massachusetts|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/06/30/624911791/efforts-to-close-the-gender-pay-gap-in-massachusetts|access-date=2021-02-28|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> Under the updated Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, employers are not allowed to have disparity in pay for employees doing a job that requires the same level of skill, effort, and responsibility.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Section 105A|url=https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section105A|website=The 192nd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts}}</ref> The Massachusetts Equal Pay Act only permits differences in pay when it is based on merit, seniority, revenue generated, education, and location or travel.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|title=Learn more details about the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act {{!}} Mass.gov|url=https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-more-details-about-the-massachusetts-equal-pay-act|access-date=2021-02-28|website=www.mass.gov|language=en}}</ref> At the time of its arrival in 2018, the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act became the strongest advocate for equal pay between genders in the United States.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Alford|first1=Catherine|last2=Lehmann|first2=Jee-Yeon|last3=Mann|first3=Charlotte|last4=Neyens|first4=Liz|last5=Seitz|first5=Shannon|date=April 25, 2018|title=Proactive Pay Equity Studies Can Shield Mass. Employers|url=https://www.analysisgroup.com/uploadedfiles/content/insights/publishing/2018-alford-lehmann-seitz-proactive-pay-equity-studies.pdf|journal=Law360|publisher=Analysis Group, Inc.}}</ref> It became the first state to provide affirmative defense to employers under the condition they have performed a self-audit of their pay practices.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":1" /> In order to be protected, there needs to be proven record of efforts made to close the disparity in pay before they become liable for double of the discriminated employee's lost wages.<ref name=":02" />