Even though Google has pointed out that the data does not present a true picture considering that only around 1,200 of its 60,000 employees may have participated; it did not take into account location of employees, performance and whether the employees are in tech position, the company is facing intense scrutiny of its HR practices.

There is a perception that women are paid less than men in every sector. In the Information Technology sector, the number of women in tech jobs is perceived to be less than men. Recently, Google fired a computer engineer James Damore for ‘perpetuating gender stereotypes’. Damore had written and distributed a document which said the yawning gap in jobs and pay for male and female computer experts is partly due to biological causes such as ‘men’s higher drive for status’ and women being ‘more prone to anxiety’ rather than any biases.

The company was just about picking up the threads when the NYT came out with its article on pay disparity among female and male employees.

With the kind of profile Google enjoys on the global stage, the debate is not likely to die down soon. At the same time, the company is often cited as one of the best places to work. So, what could be the reason for having a fewer number of women in tech jobs.

This is a common trend across the tech sector. Do fewer women opt for tech education?
Some answers could be found in a survey of more than 1,000 university students, conducted by KPMG and independent market research company High Fliers. The findings reveal that young women face a crisis in confidence with regards to their digital skills.

The poll found that only 37% of young women are confident they have the tech skills needed by today’s employers, compared with 57% of young men. This is despite scoring on a par with their male counterparts when assessed on digital skills such as data manipulation and use of social media.

There is evidence that this lack of confidence could be putting many young women off applying for jobs: 73% of female respondents said they have not considered a graduate job in technology.

Here are some findings of the survey:

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The report is based on data compiled by employees. The data contains details of salary and bonus for 2017 that were shared by about 1,200 employees based in the US.
This number, according to the report, constitutes about 2 percent of the company’s global work force.

Google has said that the data does not portray the correct picture as it does not account for location; whether an employee is in a technical position, which commands a premium; and performance.

This defence is unlikely to save the company from scrutiny by various gender equality advocates and activists, shareholders, investors and people in general.

Also Read: Poor in gender diversity
The diversity dividend

What may go against Google is that the company is generally perceived as one of the best places to work globally. Hence, critics could wave the NYT report to highlight this and other shortcomings, however minute, at the Mountain View, California headquartered company.

This case is a good example of the perils of being in the spotlight constantly. Google has been reporting very good financials and has been growing consistently.
And, with around 60,000 employees worldwide, pay gaps would be inevitable.

The company is quite likely to pay an employee posted at Mountain View more than one in the same rank posted in India, where the cost of living is relatively cheaper.

According to Google’s annual diversity report, women constitute 31% of its work force and 20% of its technical positions are filled by women.

It must be mentioned that, in tech companies, people in technical positions draw higher pay than in say marketing or HR. But disparity in pay for the same position is another thing. Add gender into this equation, and the issue gets even bigger.

In fact, the US Labor Department has been seeking data from the company in this regard. The company went to court complaining that the Labor Department is asking for more data than necessary.

The NYT report could aggravate this confrontation.

There is a bit of irony here. Millions of companies get away with pay disparities but a company that is perceived as a good place to work faces intense scrutiny.
Perhaps, the battles in lesser known companies are not publicised as much as the one at Google.

The NYT article is definitely getting a lot of traction and comments on the Internet, social media and in tech circles.

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