When I became Mayor of Boston in 2014, I knew the bad news on pay equity. If we did nothing, the gender pay gap in Massachusetts wouldn’t close until 2058. We had to stop talking about gender-based gaps and start working to close them.

Equal pay is too important an issue to sit out; we all suffer if half of us are undervalued and underpaid. It’s critical to the security of our families, communities, and economy. This isn’t just about doing the right thing, it’s about my commitment to building a strong middle class.

That’s why we partnered with the American Association of University Women to create Work Smart in Boston, a free salary negotiation workshop program for Boston’s women. The purpose of the program is straightforward: to provide guidance and training to women seeking to negotiate for the pay they deserve.

This is just one example of how cities can help make the economy fairer. Historically, elected officials have looked to Washington to legislate solutions to deeply rooted inequities. But we didn’t want to wait for Washington and knew we had to go beyond legislation. In local government, we can be innovative and intentional in addressing the issues we see every day.

Empowering women is only half the equation. We have to equip both employees and employers with tools to close these gender pay gaps. Workplaces need to be ready to welcome women, harness their talent, and treat them justly. That’s why we’re working with over 220 employers in Greater Boston to measure and close the gaps. These employers signed the 100% Talent Compact, a pledge to close the gaps internally and collectively. This is a first-in-the-nation, business-driven effort to challenge cultural and institutional barriers to pay equity.

Equal pay is too important an issue to sit out; we all suffer if half of us are undervalued and underpaid.

I was — and still am — the only mayor in the country to ask employers to contribute their wage data to calculate Boston’s gender pay gaps. Some say that’s risky, but I’ll do whatever it takes if it means we’re doing right by more than half of our population.

In partnership with Boston University’s Hariri Institute of Computing, our analysis found that women working full time in Greater Boston, on average, take home $0.76 to men’s $1.00. That’s a 24-cent gap. Knowing that the gap is worse for women of color, we also measured pay by race and job category. These numbers help us better understand where specific interventions are needed. These Compact signers, including the City of Boston, are also discovering what actually works by asking honest questions and sharing ideas at regular briefings. This month, we focused on advancing women of color; last quarter we worked to engage men as allies.

Cities and states are uniquely poised to lead on issues like pay equity. Several states, including Massachusetts, have passed strong equal pay laws, which are essential to protecting women’s rights in the workplace. However, we can’t create real change without addressing cultural beliefs and behaviors, and that starts with individuals and employers. In Boston, we’ve been approached by nearly 50 other cities, states, and countries seeking to learn more about our pay equity work, and we’ve been encouraged to see some of them start implementing parts of our model. An initiative that includes all three components — employers, individuals, and legislation — is critical to closing the gap gaps, and it’s within reach for cities and states.

Central to this work is the belief that this issue belongs to every single one of us. Years from now, we’ll be able to show how exactly Boston closed its gender pay gaps — with data, employer commitment, employee tools, and strong statewide legislation. We all have a role to play.

I believe our approach is working. A few weeks ago, we received an email with the subject: “Salary Success Story.” It was the kind of note I hoped to receive when we created Work Smart in Boston.

The email read:

After I learned about how little Latina women make compared to white men, I knew I had to take action. I prepared my argument using the tools provided at the Work Smart workshop and created a script to read as I discussed it with my manager. Today, my manager came back with an offer for more than what I asked for and said, “You made a compelling argument. I’m proud of you for advocating for yourself as a woman, and as a woman of color.” I could not be happier, and I am so grateful to the … workshop for equipping me with the language to ASK!

This is a movement characterized by thousands of similar stories. It’s about the woman who attends a workshop at her library and leaves empowered to ask for the pay she deserves. It’s about data scientists who lend their software, skills, and expertise to supporting pay equity. It’s about the Fortune 500 company which devotes resources to making sure their managers know how to determine comparable work. It’s about the small business getting ready to hire its first employee with these principles in mind. It’s about the reporter who comes to a workshop to document Boston’s efforts and gets some answers about her own pay.

It’s also about how all men, including a mayor from a working-class family, can learn to be allies for women and promote gender equity. We tell these stories in Boston because they show us it’s possible to shift culture — one workshop, one employer, one individual at a time.

The common threads in these stories are agency, fairness, and equal opportunity. These stories are about dynamic leadership and women’s empowerment, as well as the power of collective action to confront injustice. They’re about asking the uncomfortable questions and doing the hard work — individually, and together, as a city. A city that I’m proud to say works every day to be the best place in the country for women. Our story is about how we’re making Boston a city of opportunity for all. A city where women can build the life they imagine.