A decade ago, telling someone to “google” something would likely be met with a look of confusion. However, Google has become such a household word that almost everyone in California and across the United States is familiar with the company. Lately, though, many people are associating the company with issues related to workplace discrimination rather than a successful technology company. Google now faces even more litigation after three former employers filed a class action lawsuit.
The three women who filed the suit have accused the company of discriminating against women by paying them less than their male counterparts. One of the woman, a software engineer described as “experienced,” quit her job after four years. During her time there, she claims she was front-end facing whereas “back-end” software engineers were all men and considered to have more difficult, yet prestigious, jobs.
The lawsuit is not the first time the company has faced claims of discrimination. The U.S. Department of Labor filed a similar suit against Google, claiming that the government organization found proof of an “extreme” disparity between men’s and women’s wages. In fact, the plaintiffs in the most recent cases are expected to use data collected by the Department of Labor in their case against the technology giant. Representatives for the company deny the allegations against it, claiming there are safeguards in place that prevent gender bias.
The vast majority of employees in California work as hard as they can to fulfill their job responsibilities to the best of their abilities. As such, they — understandably — want to be paid according to their performance rather than based on their gender. Often, companies who engaged in illegal practices that result in a pay gap between genders are often unwilling to make changes except when faced with litigation.
Source: Forbes, “Google Sued For Gender Discrimination By Female Former Employees“, Clare O’Connor, Sept. 14, 2017
