Apple faces lawsuit over alleged gender pay discrepancies in California

Apple is being sued in California for allegedly paying over 12,000 female employees less than their male counterparts. The lawsuit was filed by two female employees who have worked at Apple for a long time. They claim that women in Apple's engineering, marketing, and AppleCare departments are paid less than men.

The lawsuit says Apple bases starting salaries on what employees were paid in their previous jobs or their 'pay expectations.' This practice tends to result in lower starting pay for women. It also claims that Apple's system for evaluating performance and giving raises and bonuses is unfair to women.

Apple responded by saying it is committed to fairness and equal pay. The company says it has ensured equal pay for men and women since 2017. However, the lawsuit argues that Apple’s current practices still lead to pay gaps between men and women.

The women suing Apple are represented by lawyers who specialize in class action lawsuits and have won large settlements in similar cases. Eve Cervantez, one of their lawyers, believes Apple’s practices make gender pay gaps worse.

Since 2018, California law has banned employers from asking job applicants about their previous salaries. This law aims to prevent pay gaps based on gender and race.