The City of Pittsburgh asked firms yesterday to submit proposals to study whether men earn more than women within its 3,300-person work force.

Responses to the request are due April 11, and the winning firm will be asked to make suggestions for remedying any gender gaps in city pay policy. Personnel Director Barbara Trant will choose the winning firm.

"It is important that city government steps up to the challenge of self-evaluation, setting an example that businesses and institutions in Pittsburgh can follow," Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said in a news release.

City Council asked for the study in November. "After more than four months, I am gratified to see that the [request] has finally been issued," council President Doug Shields said in a news release.

The city's work force is three-quarters male, and the gap between male and female earnings is larger in Pittsburgh than nationally, according to the release.