Google 'segregated' women into lower-paying jobs, lawsuit claims

Google ‘segregated’ women into lower-paying jobs, despite undertaking ‘substantially similar work’ to male employees, a class action-lawsuit has alleged.

The complaint, filed on behalf of all women employed by Google in California over the last four years, accused the technology company of denying qualified females promotions and career opportunities. It also detailed accounts of gender discrimination and pay disparities.

The lawsuit claims that Google is violating labour laws, for paying women less than men for what is essentially, the same job. The US Department of Labor (DOL) first accused Google of ‘extreme’ pay discrimination in April, as part of a lawsuit seeking to force the company to hand over salary records for a Government audit.

Google has been battling gender discrimination claims for months, despite publicly insisting it has eliminated its gender pay gap and is a leader in the embattled tech industry for inclusion. However, according to Google’s most recent diversity report, female employees make up just 20% of the technical workforce. The case strengthens the claims that outdated stereotypes are present at the firm, after one Google Engineer wrote a blog post attributing biological differences to the shortage of women in tech.