A Connecticut law banning employers from asking job-seekers about past wages goes into effect next week, and ers hope it will narrow the gap in wages between men and women.
As of this moment, it's perfectly legal in Connecticut for an employer to ask job applicants what they made at their last job. Starting January 1 they can't ask that directly, or through a third party.
Kate Farrar, executive director of Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, said questions about past pay can exacerbate wage inequality.
“If you look at…wage discrimination, it’s very difficult for women to move past previous jobs where there may have been discrimination, if they’re asked from the outset what they made in their previous position,” Farrar said Monday.
A study conducted last year by the National Partnership for Women and Families found Connecticut women earn 82 cents for every dollar made by their male counterparts.
A similar wage equity law took effect in Massachusetts earlier this year.
