The Tech giant Google is set to pay $118 million to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit. Though the firm admits no wrongdoing, four women claimed widespread pay discrimination. Meanwhile, the firm will allow independent monitors to review its internal practices.
The case first emerged back in 2017, when three women filed a complaint. The women accused the firm of underpaying female staff in violation of California’s Equal pay act. Furthermore, citing a wage gap of around $17,000. Compared to male counterparts, Google pays less and lower bonuses to women.
Google raised employees’ pay when warranted
Google spokesman, Chris Pappas said, “While we strongly believe in the equity of our policies and practices, after nearly five years of litigation, both sides agreed that resolution of the matter, without any admission or findings, was in the best interest of everyone. We’re very happy to reach this agreement. Google has analyzed pay equity over the last nine years and raised employees’ pay when warranted,’’ he added.
Moreover, Holly Pease, one of the plaintiffs said, “As a woman who’s spent her entire career in the tech industry, I’m optimistic that the actions Google has agreed to take as part of this settlement will ensure more equity for women,”
Committed to paying equally
The company believes it’s ‘’ absolutely commit to paying, hiring, and leveling all employees fairly and equally, and that it makes ‘’upward adjustments’’ if it finds a pay disparity between female and male employees.
Besides Google, other companies including Riot Games, and Apple have also faced accusations of pay discrimination. This is not the first time Google has faced a lawsuit. Previously, Google agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit. It also claimed that google underpaid female engineers and overlooked Asian job applicants. Meanwhile, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing is investigating a complaint of potential harassment and discrimination against black workers.
