Google Staff Claim Gender Pay Gap ‘Down to Biology, Not Sexism’

A male software engineer at Google has sparked quite a row from within the corporation. He allegedly sent an internal memo clarifying that gender pay gaps are not to be assumed as sexism. He has reportedly now been fired by Google for breaking the Code if Conduct.

According to the Sun, he blames biological differences between sexes for the low number of female workers in leadership positions. He said: “We need to stop assuming that gender gaps imply sexism.”

This of course flipped a switch so to speak and staff quickly shared the 30,000-word memo making it go viral. The US Department of Labor is currently investigating Google under the suspicion that it is discriminating against women based on its recent pay reports.

Reports claim he wrote that women generally “prefer jobs in social or artistic areas” while “more men may like coding.”

The document, titled ‘Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber’, was first reported to have caught the wind on Motherboard.

Danielle Brown, VP for diversity, integrity and governance at Google, says the document “advanced incorrect assumptions about gender.”

“Part of building an open, inclusive environment means fostering a culture in which those with alternative views, including different political views, feel safe sharing their opinions. But that discourse needs to work alongside the principles of equal employment found in our Code of Conduct, policies, and anti-discrimination laws,” she adds.

Google hasn’t confirmed the name of the fired employee, but US media reports name him as James Damore.

When a huge company like this allows such claims to get out of the internal comms, rows are bound to be sparked. Do you think Google is rightfully being investigated?