Apple faces lawsuit over alleged gender pay inequality in California

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

The lawsuit says Apple bases starting salaries on what employees received in their previous jobs or their “salary expectations.” This practice tends to lead to a lower starting salary for women. He also claims that Apple's system for evaluating performance and granting raises and bonuses is unfair to women.

Apple responded by affirming its commitment to fairness and equal pay. The company says it has guaranteed equal pay for men and women since 2017. However, the lawsuit claims that Apple's current practices still lead to pay gaps between men and women.

The women suing Apple are represented by class-action lawyers and have won large settlements in similar cases. Eve Cervantez, one of their lawyers, believes that Apple's practices worsen the pay gap between men and women.

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