I am a husband, a son, and the father of a young daughter, so I wholeheartedly believe that women should be paid the same as men when all factors are equal (“Pay equity bill gains steam,’’ Business, June 29). However, figuring out just what those factors are is practically impossible.

The article states that women in Massachusetts earn, on average, 82 cents for every dollar that men earn. The reporter writes, “Differences in career choices and interruptions during child-rearing years account for some of the gap, but the rest is widely attributed to gender bias.’’ This leads to the logical questions: How much of the gap is “some,’’ and what exactly is meant by “widely attributed to’’?

Putting aside the vagueness of the statistics, wage gaps are seen even between men who have the same experience within the same job. The factors involved there could be one person having more career focus, more drive to move up, more aggressiveness in asking for raises, better negotiation skills, or simply greater likability. These same factors could help explain the remainder of the gender gap.

Overall, we have seen the gender wage gap closing, and the cause of what remains may in fact NOT be gender bias. Instead of passing what I believe to be well-intentioned but onerous and potentially detrimental legislation, I think we should focus on teaching our daughters and young women everywhere to be more assertive and self-confident individuals in the workplace and in general.

J.R. Young

Swampscott