Disney agrees to pay $43 million in gender pay settlement

Disney is certainly one of the largest entertainment companies globally. It has agreed to pay $43.3 million to settle a suit alleging that its female employees in California received a salary that is $150 million less than their male counterparts over a 8-year period.

Disney is going to retain a labour economist for three years to analyse pay equity among full-time, non-union California employees under the vice president position, and address differences, according to a statement released on Monday.

LaRonda Rasmussen originally filed the suit in 2019. The suit happened as she learned that six men holding the same job title as her had been earning substantially more. There had been a man earning $20,000 a year more than she did, despite having less experience.

Some 9,000 current and former female employees at Disney consequently joined Rasmussen in the suit. The global entertainment company attempted to stop the class action, but a judge ruled in December 2023 that it could proceed.

The female employees behind the discrimination suit are being commended for bringing the matter into notice of a judge. They risked their careers to raise pay disparity at Disney – one of the largest entertainment companies across the globe.