A class action lawsuit filed against Microsoft Corporation alleges that the technology giant engaged in “systematic and pervasive discrimination” against females employees in technical and engineering roles, according to the case's website.
The main plaintiff in the case, Katie Moussouris, a former Microsoft employee and chief policy officer at HackerOne, claimed the company's gender bias resulted in “female technical professionals receiving less compensation than similar men, the promotion of men over equally or more qualified women, and less favorable performance evaluation of female technical professionals compared to male peers.”
The class action suit is seeking back pay and monetary damages, including punitive damages. Beyond that, the lawsuit called for an injunction against Microsoft to stop it from continuing the alleged conduct, as well as an order requiring the company to instate “accurate and validated standards” to help with pay, performance and promotion decisions.