Google has reportedly agreed to a settlement in a public discrimination dispute. Filed in 2017, a group of employees accused the company of paying women less to do the same job as their male counterparts. After a five-year battle, $118 million will be dispersed to 15,500 women employed in California by Google in 236 different job titles over the last nine years.
“While we strongly believe in the equity of our policies and practices, after nearly five years of litigation, both sides agreed that resolution of the matter, without any admission or findings, was in the best interest of everyone,” Google Spokesperson Chris Pappas told The New York Times.
“We’re very pleased to reach this agreement.”
Moving forward, Google will allow a third party to assess how it can improve its pay equity efforts. Another third party will examine how those recommendations are implemented.
“As a woman who’s spent her entire career in the tech industry, I’m optimistic that the actions Google has agreed to take as part of this settlement will ensure more equity for women,” plaintiff Holly Pease said about the company’s future.
A San Francisco Superior Court judge must now approve the agreed-upon settlement before it becomes final.
