Wage equality: Google confesses it paid thousands of men too little

A gender wage equality study at Google revealed the search giant was underpaying thousands of men. The company said it addressed the issue via $9.7 million in adjustments to a total of 10,677 Googlers. Men account for 69 percent of Google's workforce and receive a disproportionately higher percentage of the money as the company found it was paying women more for the same work.

Google has given raises to thousands of men after an analysis of Google's pay structure found that the company would otherwise be underpaying those men relative to their peers, The New York Times reports. The analysis also led to raises for some women.

Google determines annual pay raises in a three-phase process. First, Google adjusts every employee's compensation based on standard factors like their location, seniority, and performance ratings. Managers can then seek additional discretionary raises for their best-performing employees.

The study immediately drew criticism, including claims that it doesn't address whether women are hired a lower levels, and whether the promotion system is biased. More at ARS Technica.