Google to pay $118M to female employees

Google faced a long-running gender discrimination suit (Ellis v. Google) alleging women were paid less than male colleagues for the same roles. The parties reached a $118 million settlement in California, ending the litigation that spanned from 2013 onward. The agreement covers about 15,500 female employees across more than 200 job titles who were employed in California since September 2013. Google previously agreed to pay roughly $3.8 million in a separate settlement last year related to pay equity claims. Economist David Neumark of the University of California estimated that women were paid about $17,000 less on average than men in the covered period. As part of the settlement, an independent labor market economist will assess Google’s practices. Holly Pease, one of the plaintiffs, welcomed the move toward equity, while the settlement includes a post-settlement review of hiring and compensation practices.