(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . WOW2: August 2023 – Women Trailblazers and Activists – 8-1 thru 8-8 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-05 August 7, 2021 – California’s Department of Fair Employment filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, the multi-billion dollar company which produces the highly successful gaming series Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and the Candy Crush Saga. Activision Blizzard is accused of violating California’s civil rights and equal pay laws. The company’s president and its head of human resources stepped down following a walkout by hundreds of employees, and a petition signed by thousands more demanding a response to the scandal. Amanda Cote, a professor at University of Oregon who studies sexism and gender identity in the video game industry, said, “This is a particularly egregious lawsuit, but unfortunately I was not really surprised. We have known for quite some time that sexism pervades many areas of gaming … What seems to be different now is the fact that people are recognizing these issues as being systemic and repeated rather than episodic.” The lawsuit alleges female employees were routinely kicked out of lactation rooms so men could hold meetings. They were criticized for leaving the office to pick kids up from daycare while men played video games. One female employee noted that male employees would frequently approach her at the office and comment on her breasts. One example of the alleged “frat boy” atmosphere was a workplace tradition called the “cube crawl.” Drunken male employees would “crawl” their way between office cubicles and engage in inappropriate behavior towards female employees. Male co-workers at a holiday party allegedly passed around nude photos of a female colleague who was having an inappropriate relationship with her supervisor. The case also cites the former creative director for World of Warcraft, who was allegedly known to harass female colleagues and repeatedly bragged about his hotel room, which he called the “Cosby suite,” in reference to Bill Cosby. Executives made aware of his behavior told Afrasabi to participate in verbal counseling, “a slap on the wrist,” the lawsuit alleges. However, employees who spoke out were often targeted in retaliation, including being “deprived of work on projects, unwillingly transferred to different units, and selected for layoffs,” the lawsuit says. Beyond the crude jokes and offensive comments, women say Activision Blizzard fostered an environment in which their work was less valued and their careers overlooked. The company’s workforce was just 20% female, while all executive level positions are held by white males, the lawsuit alleges – including the CEO and president roles. Women were systematically paid less than their male counterparts, offered fewer promotions, and overlooked for appointments to leadership roles, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit also contains claims of pregnancy discrimination, saying supervisors ignored medical restrictions given to female employees and gave them negative evaluations while they were out on maternity leave. When employees complained about such treatment, it “fell on deaf ears.” Experts say the fallout at Activision Blizzard could be a turning point in the gaming industry, as employees and the industry at large demand urgent change. Meanwhile, shareholders are suing Activision Blizzard, claiming they were “economically damaged” as a result of executives allegedly intentionally withholding information on the lawsuit. Employees at Activision Blizzard are not satisfied with the company’s response either. Following their walkout, organizers released a statement saying they would continue to make specific demands [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/5/2185025/-WOW2-August-2023-Women-Trailblazers-and-Activists-8-1-thru-8-8 Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/