Women file pay discrimination lawsuit against Google

Three women have filed a lawsuit against Google claiming systemic pay discrimination, according to The Guardian. The former employees claim the company consistently pays men more for doing similar work as women in similar conditions. They also allege that Google denies women opportunities for advancement.

The class-action complaint, filed on behalf of all women employed by the company in California in the last four years, could see more employees stepping up as it continues.

Leading the charge is former employee Kelly Ellis, who has provided detailed evidence of Google’s alleged pay gap.

Ellis says that when she was first hired, Google placed her in a “Level 3” job, typically reserved for hires straight out of college. A few weeks later, a man who graduated in her class was hired in a “Level 4” position, receiving a “substantially higher pay” and improved benefits.

Ellis also points out that, despite having experience in back-end development, women are also consistently placed in front-end positions, which involves more design work and is considered less prestigious.

In January, the US Department of Labour filed a lawsuit against Google, requesting it release its salary data and documents to the government — and in April it revealed it had substantial evidence it underpaid its female employees.

The company has ostensibly placed immense pride in its anti-discrimination policies, and consistently releases a “comprehensive and robust analysis of pay across genders“.

Let’s make every day #EqualPayDay. All employers can take steps to eliminate the gender and race pay gaps, today → https://t.co/KTuGTJMV16pic.twitter.com/rBciSK21uF

— Google (@Google) April 4, 2017

According to many former female employees, these policies aren’t working as well as they should be.

The issue of pay discrimination continues to be a sore spot for Google, which recently fired an employee for releasing an internal memo claiming women were biologically unfit for tech.