Google has agreed to pay $118 million to more than 15,000 female employees to settle a long-running gender discrimination and fair pay lawsuit.
Google’s decision means female employees in 236 job titles in California since September 14, 2013, will now receive an average compensation of about $7,600 each.
The settlement will also ensure the provision of an independent industrial organizational psychologist to analyze Google’s hiring practices and ensure fairness in pay.
The lawsuit was filed in September 2017 by former Google employees Kelly Ellis, Holly Pease, Kelli Wisuri and Heidi Lamar.
It also highlighted Google’s pay gap among employees. In 2021, Google was accused of paying its female employees $17,009 a year less than male employees doing the same work.
The former employees who filed the lawsuit hope the settlement will open new doors for equal pay for workers in organizations in the United States and beyond.