00:00 Amazon confronts gender discrimination claims as three employees file landmark lawsuit.
00:05 In a recent development, three employees of Amazon have sued the company, alleging gender
00:09 discrimination and retaliation.
00:11 Caroline Wilmeth, Catherine Schomer, and Erin Combs, who belong to Amazon's Corporate Research
00:16 and Strategy Division, have filed a lawsuit against the company.
00:20 They claim that the e-commerce giant has been practicing gender bias by assigning women
00:24 lower job titles than men in similar roles, along with higher pay.
00:28 They also accuse the company of regularly failing to promote women, reported CNBC.
00:32 The trio first raised the issues in 2021, leading to an investigation into potential
00:37 gender-based discrimination.
00:40 Wilmeth alleged that the three women in her team of four researchers were categorized
00:43 into lower-paid roles, while the only male member was placed in a higher-level and higher-paid
00:48 role.
00:49 The male researcher apparently made approximately 150 percent of Schomer's salary, according
00:54 to the complaint.
00:56 The employees also claim that Amazon retaliated "within weeks" of voicing their concerns
01:01 by demoting them, significantly reducing their job scope, and reassigning their direct reports
01:06 to a team managed by a male executive accused of gender bias.
01:10 Amazon's decision to transfer Wilmeth's reports to a team led by a male executive
01:15 was found to have a disparate impact on women in a March investigation.
01:19 Meanwhile, Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser refuted the allegations, stating, "We believe
01:24 these claims are false and will demonstrate that through the legal process," the report
01:28 noted.
01:29 Find out more on Benzinga.com.
01:31 (upbeat music)
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