{"id":8835,"date":"2021-11-08T19:00:50","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T19:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1372270"},"modified":"2021-11-08T19:00:50","modified_gmt":"2021-11-08T19:00:50","slug":"rivians-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-reinforces-a-sad-trend-in-the-auto-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=8835","title":{"rendered":"Rivian\u2019s gender discrimination lawsuit reinforces a sad trend in the auto world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ahead of its anticipated initial public offering (IPO) on November 9, Rivian is facing a lawsuit by a former sales and marketing vice president for alleged gender discrimination, the Wall Street Journal<\/a> reports. <\/span><\/p>\n

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday and alleges that Laura Schwab, the former executive in question, got fired after reporting gender discrimination to the company\u2019s HR department.<\/p>\n

In addition to that, Schwab filed a statement of claim with the American Arbitration Association (\u0391\u0391\u0391) and came forward to the public in a blog post published on Medium<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

She states in the blog post:<\/p>\n

\n

Rivian public<\/span>l<\/span>y boasts about its culture, so it was a crushing blow when I joined the company and almost immediately experienced a toxic bro culture that marginalizes women and contributes to the company making mistakes. <\/span><\/p>\n

I raised concerns to HR about the gender discrimination from my manager, the \u201cboys club\u201d culture, and the impact it was having on me, my team, and the company. Two days later, my boss fired me.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The \u201ctoxic bro culture,\u201d as Schwab alleges, not only resulted in her abrupt dismissal, but also in her unjustified exclusion in the workplace.<\/p>\n

Despite her 20-year experience in the automotive industry and her high-ranking position, she was regularly excluded from meetings attended by her male peers and decisions were made without her input.<\/p>\n

Her opinion was also regularly ignored when she was trying to point out problems and concerns over the company\u2019s strategies.<\/p>\n

A coincidence or a trend?<\/h3>\n

The fact that women are underrepresented<\/a> in the automotive industry is no secret. To give you an example, in 2018, only 16<\/em><\/a> women (8%) were executives at the top 20 motor vehicle and parts companies in the Fortune Global 500. <\/span><\/p>\n

And I seriously doubt that the number has significantly gone up since then.<\/p>\n

But for the few that have made it to the top, I\u2019m wondering, are they treated differently just because they are\u2026 women?<\/p>\n

While a few women have broken through and reached the top, they\u2019re still likely to face discrimination in the macho culture of the car world.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>You only need a quick Google search to find a series of lawsuits similar to the one Schwab has filed.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2017, Heather Anger, clay sculptor, sued General Motors<\/a> for gender discrimination as well. She claimed that her male peers had a higher salary (despite their lower qualifications), were receiving more promotions, and were getting away with sexual harassment at work.<\/p>\n

That same year, AJ  Vandermeyden, former engineer at Tesla, sued the company<\/a> for \u201cpervasive harassment\u201d and unjust treatment. Similar to Anger and Schwab, she accused Tesla of paying her a lower salary compared to her male colleagues in the same role, promoting less qualified men over her, and retaliating against her for raising concerns. <\/span><\/p>\n

A few months later, she was fired.<\/p>\n

Former Uber engineer Susan Fowler also <\/span>sued<\/a> her ride-sharing employer four years ago. And, you guessed it, the lawsuit was about sexual harassment and gender discrimination. I wish that concluded the list, but there\u2019s tons more of examples I could\u2019ve included.<\/span><\/p>\n

Women aren\u2019t attracted by the automotive industry<\/h3>\n

According to <\/span>the latest research<\/a> conducted by Deloitte and Automotive News, nearly half of female respondents working in the automotive sector would like to move to a different industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>I don\u2019t blame them.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>The respondents cited lack of work\/life balance and lack of promotion opportunities. Full 64% of the women asked believed that lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion prevented women from considering a position in the automotive industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where does this leave the automotive world?<\/h3>\n

The answer is simple: in the past.<\/p>\n

While most major automakers are coming around on sustainability and dedicating themselves to EV manufacturing, they won\u2019t be able to tout their \u2018futurist\u2019 vision until they change their culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>A single event, such as Schwab\u2019s lawsuit, isn\u2019t necessarilty indicative of an entire industry, but a series of cases and survey data does hint at a disturbing trend: the automotive world is a \u201cman\u2019s world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>It\u2019s great that many car manufacturers are ready to overhaul their technology and whole business to adjust to new demands for sustainability \u2014 but they should use that momentum eradicate sexist work culture as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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