Washington Post: Amazon, amid pressure from an investor, reports virtually no gender pay gap

Following a shareholder proposal to report on how it pays male and female employees, Amazon.com has added its name to the small but growing list of companies disclosing details about their gender pay gap -- or apparent lack thereof. The e-commerce giant said Wednesday that a compensation review conducted by an outside labor economist found that among U.S. workers, women earned 99.9 cents for every dollar of their male peers doing similar jobs. "There will naturally be slight fluctuations from year to year, but at Amazon we are committed to keeping compensation fair and equitable," the company said in a statement. Nearly 40 percent of Amazon's employees, but just 24 percent of its managers, are women, according to demographics listed on the company's web site.

The move came several days after the Securities and Exchange Commission declined Amazon's request to exclude the shareholder proposal from its proxy ballot, where investors could cast votes on whether the company should disclose more about its gender pay practices. (Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, is the owner of The Washington Post.)

"I'm very pleased they understand the importance of being transparent and accountable, and I'm glad to see them change their tune," said Natasha Lamb, director of equity research and shareholder engagement for Arjuna Capital, which filed the proposal at Amazon. "We are thrilled to see them step up and say they're committed to gender pay equity."

Read the rest of this article at The Washington Post.