According to a report from Reuters, it appears that over a six-year period, Microsoft upheld only one of the 118 gender discrimination complaints they received from their female employees, per court filings. In total, between 2010 and 2016, Microsoft received 238 complaints of discriminations or sexual harassment.
Microsoft is facing a lawsuit from several former employees who allege that the company routinely held back women in their workforce by denying them promotions and pay raises. The employees in the lawsuits are seeking class action status, and if they receive the status, the case could include thousands of the company’s US-based female employees.
Microsoft has denied the claims from the lawsuit, saying it didn’t engage in wage discrimination and noted in court filings that it spends $55 million each year on diversity and inclusion efforts. According to the most recent diversity report, Microsoft’s workforce is nearly 26 percent female. The company also claims that its female employees earn equal wages to male employees. “Today, for every $1 earned by men, our female employees in the U.S. earn $1.000 dollars at the same job title and level,” the company says.
Mind you, Microsoft isn’t the only tech company facing accusations of wage discrimination. Google is also facing a similar lawsuit.
