Two major gender–related lawsuits are in the news. First, Walmart has asked for a review of an appeal court ruling that paved the way for a massive class action suit against the retailer. A gender discrimination suit by six women alleging Walmart paid them less and offered them fewer opportunities for promotion than they did their male coworkers has become a class action suit which encompasses all women who worked in the retailer’s 3,400 stores since the late 1990s. Treating the case as a class action obviously has major implications for both Walmart and its female employees. If the court rules in favor of the employees, Walmart could face a huge payout. If the court rules against the class, many women could be denied an opportunity to deal with any individual discrimination cases they may have.
Meanwhile, ABM Industries, Inc., a janitorial services company, will pay 21 Hispanic, female employees $5.8 million to settle a sexual assault and harassment suit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The California company, which touts corporate values of “respect, fairness and dignity,” was accused of “unwelcome touching, explicit sexual comments and requests for sex by 14 male co-workers and supervisors, one of whom was a registered sex offender.”
And still, many hold strong to the belief that discrimination doesn’t play a role in the wage gap. This theme remerged following last week’s news of a reverse wage gap among single, childless women under the age of 30.
