Google Reaches a Settlement Over Gender Pay Disparities
Google announced on Sunday that it will pay about 118 million dollars, roughly 113.2 million euros, to resolve a lawsuit accusing the company of paying women less than men for similar roles. The move ends a high profile case in which three former employees filed a class action in the San Francisco area in 2017, alleging that lower level, lower paid positions were more often given to women than to men with equivalent qualifications who were denied promotions to higher teams.
The tech giant does not admit fault, yet the settlement in California covers around 15,500 Google employees across 236 job families who have worked since September 2013. In addition to ending years of litigation, the deal includes a process with an independent expert group tasked with reviewing Google’s hiring practices and assessing pay equity to identify and address potential gender discrimination.
There is no admission of wrongdoing within the agreement, but the settlement commits Google to compensate, hire, and balance compensation for all affected employees. One of the plaintiffs, Holly Pease, noted that the resolution gives Google a chance to demonstrate responsibility and foster inclusivity and equity for women in technology.
Google has faced scrutiny for what is described as a patriarchal culture within the traditionally male-dominated tech sector, where men have often been favored. In a separate matter last year, the company agreed to pay more than 3.8 million dollars, about 3.64 million euros, to over 5,500 employees of Asian descent who were found to be disadvantaged, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. (citation: EFE)