Back in 1847, Jane Eyre, although a fictional character envisioned what it would be like to live in a world where gender disparity does not exist. Well, that vision is nowhere near completion as even huge companies like Disney are not ready to pay women an equal sum of money.
A class action lawsuit alleging gender-based pay disparities at Disney has been certified as the largest ever under California’s Equal Pay Act. The suit, representing 9,000 women, claims Disney paid them less than their male counterparts for similar work. Lori Andrus, the plaintiffs’ attorney, celebrated the ruling, stating that Disney had been “gaslighting these women for four years.” Disney expressed disappointment, considering its options.
The class covers female non-union employees in California since April 1, 2015, below the vice president level, spanning various Disney units but excluding some subsidiaries. Disney argued against the certification, claiming diverse job roles made comparisons challenging. The judge rejected this, emphasizing the need for Disney to defend potential pay disparities.
Disney’s attorney argued that defending against pay disparities would be complex due to the diversity of job roles. The judge, Elihu M. Berle, challenged this, questioning Disney’s inability to categorize pay grades efficiently.
Experts on both sides will examine the gender pay gap. Andrus claimed a 2% starting pay difference favoring men across the class. While a parallel claim under the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act was denied class certification, the Equal Pay Act case will proceed to trial. A status conference is scheduled for February 9, with the trial expected before October.