More On:
Pinterest lures in Marie Claire’s editor-in-chief as new head of content
Ex-Pinterest COO sues company for gender discrimination, wrongful termination
Pinterest has a rampant perv problem, shocking study finds
Faceblocked: Court rules granny’s grandkid pics got to go
Pinterest said it will pay $22.5 million to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit brought by former chief operating officer Françoise Brougher.
The social-media firm announced the deal Monday, about four months after Brougher filed the complaint alleging that Pinterest’s bosses shut her out of decisions and offered her a worse compensation package than her male peers.
Pinterest agreed to pay $20 million to Brougher and her lawyers and give another $2.5 million to organizations that support women and other underrepresented groups in the tech industry.
“Pinterest recognizes the importance of fostering a workplace environment that is diverse, equitable and inclusive and will continue its actions to improve its culture,” the company said in a joint statement with Brougher.
“Francoise welcomes the meaningful steps Pinterest has taken to improve its workplace environment and is encouraged that Pinterest is committed to building a culture that allows all employees to feel included and supported,” the statement added.
The settlement is one of the largest ever publicly announced in an individual gender discrimination case, according to The New York Times, which first reported on the deal Monday.
But Pinterest did not admit to any liability for the allegations in Brougher’s suit, which said she was sidelined and ultimately forced out after about two years in the job because she didn’t conform to gender stereotypes.
In a blog post published the day she filed the lawsuit, Brougher said she was fired in April after complaining about the “rampant discrimination” and “misogyny” within the company. Pinterest allegedly claimed she wasn’t being “collaborative” and tried to tell staff that she left voluntarily, she said.
Brougher also said she wasn’t taken on the investor roadshow before Pinterest’s 2019 initial public offering even though she was the only executive who had taken a company public before.
Pinterest said it’s taken several steps to improve its culture in recent months, such as appointing two women to its board of directors and setting up an internal platform to improve transparency about compensation.
Share this article:
Source: Read Full Article