Two women have filed a class action lawsuit against Apple in California, accusing the tech giant of systematically underpaying female employees over the past four years. The lawsuit, which represents the interests of potentially 12,000 current and former female employees, alleges that Apple’s pay practices and performance evaluation system discriminate against women.
The lawsuit represents nearly 12,000 current and former Apple employees
The complaint centers on Apple’s past practice of determining starting salaries based on previous salary history, which was discontinued in late 2017. The lawsuit alleges that this approach perpetuated existing gender pay gaps, as women tend to earn less than men in the tech industry.
This practice has been replaced by a policy of asking job applicants about their salary expectations, which the lawsuit alleges has a similar discriminatory effect. Studies have shown that employees tend to base their salary expectations on current or past salaries, potentially leading to women undervaluing themselves during negotiations.
The lawsuit goes beyond pay inequality, alleging bias in Apple’s performance evaluation system. The complaint alleges that subjective criteria such as “teamwork” and “leadership” are applied differently to men and women. According to the lawsuit, men are rewarded for behaviors that may be penalized for women, further affecting their earning potential.
The lawsuit seeks financial compensation for the losses suffered by the employees due to the alleged pay gap. In addition, the plaintiffs are seeking “declaratory relief” – a court order requiring Apple to change its pay and evaluation practices to ensure fairness. They are also asking for a jury trial.
These allegations follow similar reports in 2022, when female Apple employees claimed to have been sexually harassed, bullied, and retaliated against for filing complaints with the HR department. One particularly troubling example involves a former legal director who claims that a colleague hacked into her devices and threatened her with death. Although she reported the incident to HR, they took no action and eventually fired her.
This lawsuit is forcing Apple to pay attention to potential systemic gender bias in the company. Let’s see how the company finds its way through these proceedings.
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