The former chief operating officer of Pinterest, Françoise Brougher has accused the company of gender bias and for voicing herself about mistreatment. She has been one of the key female employees at the company and her sudden unexplained exit in April this year stirred a lot of controversies.
Lawsuit Against Pinterest For Gendered Mistreatment
Françoise Brougher filed a lawsuit this Tuesday, accusing the picture sharing and virtual pinboard company for terminating her when she complained about sexual misconduct within the company towards herself. In the lawsuit, she has talked about why she left the company citing that she was sidelined during key decision-making meetings and was given gender-based feedback. She also noted that her remuneration was less than her male counterparts. When she confronted the leadership for misconduct and bias, she was asked to leave the company.
Françoise Brougher Detailed The Issue
Talking about her experience in an interview she said,
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“Gender discrimination at the C-level suite maybe a little more subtle, but it’s very insidious and real,” When men speak out, they get rewarded. When women speak out, they get fired.”
Gender-Bias Prevalent in Silicon Valley
Françoise Brougher’s lawsuit reinstates the fact that gender bias has prevailed in Silicon Valley for long and is still persistent even though there has been enough uproar about the tech culture of gender bias. In the recent #metoo movement also a lot of female executives and leaders have joined in.
Similar Lawsuit A Month Ago
The lawsuit against Pinterest comes after another lawsuit filed in July against a financial technology startup Carta by its ex VP of Marketing Emily Kramer. In that lawsuit, the company was accused of paying less remuneration to her than her male counterparts. When she called out for diversity and gender equality, she was let go.
Pinterest Reviewing Its Policies and Culture
On the other hand, Pinterest responded to the lawsuit and said that the company is reviewing the allegations cited in the lawsuit. The Pinterest representative said that its employees are extremely important to the company, and its culture is where employees feel included and supported. The company is in the process of reviewing its culture and practices.