Women in Massachusetts are earning just over three-quarters of what their male counterparts make. That’s the widest gender income disparity in the Northeast.

Christianne Corbett is with the American Association of University Women, which puts out an annual state-by-state analysis of what she calls the “gender pay gap.” She says from 2010 to 2011 Massachusetts women went from earning 81% of what men made down to 77%. But she adds, the numbers are deceiving.

“It’s not that women’s wages went down, it’s that men’s wages increased by about 4,000 dollars a year.”

Corbett says labor statistics show men earning more than women who do the same work in all but a few industries. She says the pay gap tends to be the least between younger workers. And the difference grows as workers get older. Corbett says the income gap is much greater between people with jobs that require more degrees.

“In terms of comparing them to the men who have made the same investment in their education, women are actually making significantly less — more so than if they had not gotten even a high school diploma.”

Corbett says the nearly fifty-year old “Equal Pay Act” is due for some updates. She says pushing congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2013 would be a good place to start.