Company Culture
Google (3.8 stars) employees Meredith Whittaker and Claire Stapleton have accused the tech company of retaliating against employees who participated in recent organizing efforts. If you remember, in November, approximately 20,000 Google employees walked out in protest of the company’s handling of sexual harassment. Employees have also voiced concern over the company’s unethical business practices and its unfair treatment of underrepresented groups. Google says retaliation isn’t happening, but employees organized a town hall meeting to discuss their shared experiences. Fortune
Sterling Jeweler’s Inc. (2.1 stars) is the largest jeweler in America and the corporation behind Kay’s, Jared’s, Zales, and more. Its stores span every corner of the U.S.—and so do employee reports of pay inequity and sexual assault. NY Times
Quick Hits
For anyone who’s been utterly turned off by dating apps after receiving unsolicited photos, here’s some good news. Bumble (4.4 stars) is rolling out a new AI tool in June called Private Detector to automatically blur lewd images uploaded in the app, even within its private messaging feature. Fortune
North Carolina is the only state in the country where consent cannot legal be revoked once a sexual act has begun. Unsurprisingly, this stipulation has been devastating to sexual assault and rape victims looking for justice in the court system. But finally, after several unsuccessful attempts, activists are hopeful the law might be overturned. State senator Jeff Jackson has introduced a bill that would alter N.C. assault statutes to explicitly state that consent can be revoked even if a sexual act has already begun. Forbes
Maternal mortality rates in the U.S. are three to four times higher for black women than white women, and 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren said last week she hopes to address that if she’s elected. She proposes granting bonuses to hospitals that manage to bring their black maternal mortality down—and taking funds away if they don’t. NY Times
Speaking of presidential hopefuls, Joe Biden finally confirmed he’ll run in the 2020 election, but his political background stirred up controversy. In 1991, Anita Hill testified about being sexually harassed by then supreme court nominee Clarence Thomas, and Biden oversaw that Senate hearing. In brief, the hearing didn’t go well: Biden’s critics say he failed to call witnesses and forced Hill to describe in detail scenes of harassment she’d experienced. Biden called Hill last week to “express his regret for what she endured,” but Hill says that wasn’t an apology. The Guardian
We all know not being perceived as conventionally attractive (whatever that means) can adversely affect things like being hired or respected, but new research shows the opposite is true as well. A new study has found that business women perceived as conventionally attractive are seen as less honest, less trustworthy, and more deserving of being fired. It’s kind of starting to sound like this isn’t an appearance problem at all. NY Times
Around the World
Canada: Premier Rachel Notley lost her reelection to a male challenger last week, and when he takes power, not a single territory or province in Canada will be lead by a woman for the first time since 2008. Bloomberg
South Korea: As birth rates in Korea continue to fall and young people increasingly trade village life for the big city, some rural schools have come up with a genius solution to their dwindling class sizes—they’re filling the seats with grandmothers who never got the chance to learn to read and write. This piece by Choe Sang-Hun will warm your heart. NY Times
India: Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi of India’s Supreme Court has been accused of sexually harassing a woman who served as his assistant. NY Times
