Women at Microsoft filed more than 200 complaints of discrimination, harassment

Women working in technical roles at U.S. Microsoft offices filed 238 internal complaints alleging gender discrimination or harassment between 2010 and 2016.
Of these, 118 were gender discrimination complaints and Microsoft only determined one to be “founded,” according to court filings reported by Reuters.
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The numbers are being used by plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit against the company as an example of women being paid less and being less likely to receive promotions than men at Microsoft.
Attorneys representing the women who filed the lawsuit in 2015 called the findings “shocking.” Average data for discrimination complaints at companies are difficult to know since they are not usually publicly reported.
Microsoft had argued the numbers should not be released, saying that making the outcomes public could discourage women in the company from coming forward in the future.
Microsoft has denied widespread claims of gender discrimination and during the suit has pointed to the $55 million a year it spends toward promoting diversity.
The Redmond, Wash.-based technology company argued that plaintiffs have not been able to give examples of systematic pay or promotion gender discrimination.
Plaintiffs want the case to be classified as a class-action lawsuit that would include more than 8,000 employees.
U.S. District Judge James Robart has not yet given a ruling on the case’s class action status.
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