Google accused of underpaying female employees
Following a government investigation into how Google pays its employees, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) alleges that Google systemically pays women less than men. The DOL is suing Google, a government contractor, to release compensation data to ensure that the company is adhering to equal opportunity laws.
Google announced in April that they have closed the gender pay gap globally. However, only three days after Google made this announcement, a DOL regional director testified in a San Francisco federal court that there are “systemic compensation disparities against women” across Google’s workforce.
In January, the DOL filed a suit for Google to turn over their compensation and personnel records, which, according to the suit, Google has refused to do voluntarily. Google said it strongly disagreed with the DOL official’s statement in court, and denied that the company has a discrimination problem. In a statement, Google said they conducted a robust and comprehensive analysis of wage information, and they have not found any pay disparities between male and female employees.
Google also stated that the company has turned over hundreds of thousands of documents to the DOL, but they withheld data that is overbroad in scope or that would reveal confidential information.
Tech companies in Silicon Valley, including Google, have received criticism for their hiring practices that heavily favor white or Asian men in technical jobs. Google’s diversity data from the past several years reveal that only 19 percent of technology jobs at Google are held by women, less than one-third of Google’s 70,000 employees are women, and 24 percent of leadership positions are held by women.
If you believe that you are not being compensated fairly because of your gender, race or ethnicity, you should contact an experienced employment attorney at Strong Advocates. We can assist you in determining your rights and legal options. We are committed to helping you get the justice you deserve.