A PlayStation gender discrimination lawsuit has been filed in California by former IT security analyst Emma Majo, alleging that Sony discriminates against female employees in "compensation and promotion."
Recent weeks have been filled with coverage of the ongoing legal battles against Activision Blizzard; employees have staged a walkout and a small group of shareholders called for the resignation of CEO Bobby Kotick. The company also faced criticism from the heads of Xbox and PlayStation; now, the latter company has come under fire with the filing of a PlayStation gender discrimination lawsuit.
The PlayStation Gender Discrimination Lawsuit, Explained
The PlayStation gender discrimination lawsuit was filed by IT security analyst Emma Majo. Majo had spent six years at Sony, serving as an IT Security Risk Analyst for the PlayStation Network starting in December 2015. However, her employment came to an end earlier this year after the closure of an internal department.
The lawsuit (via Axios) alleges that different treatment for male and female employees "occurs as a pattern and practice throughout Sony." It further alleges that women receive lower compensation and are often passed over for promotion and that Sony has "failed to respond adequately or appropriately to evidence and complaints of discrimination."
Majo also alleged difficulty in getting promoted or even having a discussion about what could be done to get promoted; conversely, she alleges that male employees suffered no such difficulties. Note this section of the lawsuit:
70. Plaintiff spoke to three separate managers about what she could do to get promoted. Not only did Plaintiff not get promoted or get an answer as to how she could get promoted, but in fact Plaintiff was effectively demoted. Plaintiff used to report to a VP; after asking about how to get promoted, she was then told to report to a manager below the VP. The VP claimed that they did not have time to handle subordinates. Plaintiff noticed that other male co-workers continued reporting to the VP.
This isn't just one person versus an entire company, mind -- this is a class-action lawsuit and it may see other women come on board in the future if the court approves the creation of the class.
The lawsuit's ultimate goals include the payment of unspecified damages, lawyer's fees, and the implementation of programs within the company to put a stop to the alleged gender discrimination at the company.
