According to the lawsuit, "Google has discriminated and continues to discriminate against its female employees by systematically paying them lower compensation than Google pays to male employees performing substantially similar under similar working conditions." (Photo: Steve Rhodes/Flickr/cc)
Google Sued for 'Systematically' Segregating Women Into Lower-Paying Jobs
The suit comes as gender-based pay discrimination is making headlines nationally, with President Donald Trump waging an "all-out attack on equal pay."
A class-action lawsuit filed Thursday on behalf of all women who have been employed by Google over the last four years alleges that the tech giant is violating labor laws by systematically "segregating" women into lower-paying jobs.
"My hopes for the Google suit: to force not only Google, but other companies to change their practices and compensate EVERYONE fairly."
--Kelly EllisKelly Ellis, one of the plaintiffs in the case, says she quit her job at Google in 2014 after being denied a promotion despite outstanding performance reviews and qualifications.
"I have come forward to correct a pervasive problem of gender bias at Google," Ellis said in a statement. "It is time to stop ignoring these issues in tech."
Two other women--Holly Pease and Kelli Wisuri--joined Ellis in filing the suit, which could have implications for thousands of current and past Google employees.
According to the lawsuit, "Google has discriminated and continues to discriminate against its female employees by systematically paying them lower compensation than Google pays to male employees performing substantially similar under similar working conditions."
Google perpetuates its discriminatory practices by "assigning and keeping women in job ladders and levels with lower compensation ceilings and advancement opportunities than those to which men with similar skills, experience, and duties are assigned and kept," the plaintiffs add.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Ellis said the gender pay gap is a deeply ingrained problem at Google, and while "lip service" has been paid by companies that claim to be committed to combating pay disparities, the problem "hasn't really changed."
Employees filing lawsuits "is going to be one of the only ways to get these companies to change how they hire and compensate women," Ellis concluded.
The suit comes as gender-based pay discrimination is making headlines nationally, with President Donald Trump waging an "all-out attack on equal pay."
The GOP-dominated Congress appears happy to play along. The House on Thursday voted down an amendment that would have preserved the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) equal pay data collection initiative, an Obama-era program that Trump halted last month.
Google, for its part, has long been plagued with charges of pay discrimination. In April, a Labor Department investigation of the tech firm found evidence of "systemic compensation disparities."
"The government's analysis at this point indicates that discrimination against women in Google is quite extreme, even in this industry," concluded Labor Department solicitor Janet Herold.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
A class-action lawsuit filed Thursday on behalf of all women who have been employed by Google over the last four years alleges that the tech giant is violating labor laws by systematically "segregating" women into lower-paying jobs.
"My hopes for the Google suit: to force not only Google, but other companies to change their practices and compensate EVERYONE fairly."
--Kelly EllisKelly Ellis, one of the plaintiffs in the case, says she quit her job at Google in 2014 after being denied a promotion despite outstanding performance reviews and qualifications.
"I have come forward to correct a pervasive problem of gender bias at Google," Ellis said in a statement. "It is time to stop ignoring these issues in tech."
Two other women--Holly Pease and Kelli Wisuri--joined Ellis in filing the suit, which could have implications for thousands of current and past Google employees.
According to the lawsuit, "Google has discriminated and continues to discriminate against its female employees by systematically paying them lower compensation than Google pays to male employees performing substantially similar under similar working conditions."
Google perpetuates its discriminatory practices by "assigning and keeping women in job ladders and levels with lower compensation ceilings and advancement opportunities than those to which men with similar skills, experience, and duties are assigned and kept," the plaintiffs add.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Ellis said the gender pay gap is a deeply ingrained problem at Google, and while "lip service" has been paid by companies that claim to be committed to combating pay disparities, the problem "hasn't really changed."
Employees filing lawsuits "is going to be one of the only ways to get these companies to change how they hire and compensate women," Ellis concluded.
The suit comes as gender-based pay discrimination is making headlines nationally, with President Donald Trump waging an "all-out attack on equal pay."
The GOP-dominated Congress appears happy to play along. The House on Thursday voted down an amendment that would have preserved the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) equal pay data collection initiative, an Obama-era program that Trump halted last month.
Google, for its part, has long been plagued with charges of pay discrimination. In April, a Labor Department investigation of the tech firm found evidence of "systemic compensation disparities."
"The government's analysis at this point indicates that discrimination against women in Google is quite extreme, even in this industry," concluded Labor Department solicitor Janet Herold.
A class-action lawsuit filed Thursday on behalf of all women who have been employed by Google over the last four years alleges that the tech giant is violating labor laws by systematically "segregating" women into lower-paying jobs.
"My hopes for the Google suit: to force not only Google, but other companies to change their practices and compensate EVERYONE fairly."
--Kelly EllisKelly Ellis, one of the plaintiffs in the case, says she quit her job at Google in 2014 after being denied a promotion despite outstanding performance reviews and qualifications.
"I have come forward to correct a pervasive problem of gender bias at Google," Ellis said in a statement. "It is time to stop ignoring these issues in tech."
Two other women--Holly Pease and Kelli Wisuri--joined Ellis in filing the suit, which could have implications for thousands of current and past Google employees.
According to the lawsuit, "Google has discriminated and continues to discriminate against its female employees by systematically paying them lower compensation than Google pays to male employees performing substantially similar under similar working conditions."
Google perpetuates its discriminatory practices by "assigning and keeping women in job ladders and levels with lower compensation ceilings and advancement opportunities than those to which men with similar skills, experience, and duties are assigned and kept," the plaintiffs add.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Ellis said the gender pay gap is a deeply ingrained problem at Google, and while "lip service" has been paid by companies that claim to be committed to combating pay disparities, the problem "hasn't really changed."
Employees filing lawsuits "is going to be one of the only ways to get these companies to change how they hire and compensate women," Ellis concluded.
The suit comes as gender-based pay discrimination is making headlines nationally, with President Donald Trump waging an "all-out attack on equal pay."
The GOP-dominated Congress appears happy to play along. The House on Thursday voted down an amendment that would have preserved the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) equal pay data collection initiative, an Obama-era program that Trump halted last month.
Google, for its part, has long been plagued with charges of pay discrimination. In April, a Labor Department investigation of the tech firm found evidence of "systemic compensation disparities."
"The government's analysis at this point indicates that discrimination against women in Google is quite extreme, even in this industry," concluded Labor Department solicitor Janet Herold.