In case you haven’t heard, our favorite obnoxiously large supermarket chain is pleading its case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as it tries to avoid the largest job bias class action lawsuit ever. We don’t know yet if Walmart actually will go to trial over claims of sexism on the job, but we do know the court is split along gender and there are an incredible number of variables to keep in mind when considering a lawsuit with some 1.6 million people involved.
We hate to say it, but Justice Antonin Scalia made a point Wednesday when he pointed out that Walmart can’t be held accountable for the actions of rogue managers who refused to promote women.
Is the problem rooted in corporate culture or in individual mindsets? Can a company be held liable for the way some of it employees act?
The women’s attorney brought up another question — this time about the company’s perception of women as less aggressive in their jobs.
According to the attorney, this idea led to fewer women being given management positions, but we’re skeptical the corporate training was the only reason. A plethora of obstacles exist when moving up with an organization, and to place the blame for a disparity in the ratio of men to women squarely on the company’s shoulders seems a little ridiculous. We’re aware sexism is alive and well, but the women’s attorney will have to present better evidence to convince us of Walmart’s wrongdoing.
