An employment discrimination lawsuit filed against Citigroup alleges that the company, even as it received bailout money from the federal government, continued to engage in pervasive discrimination against female employees by engaging in mass layoffs of female workers.

In November 2008, large numbers of employees were laid off by the company, and the lawsuit alleges that women bore the brunt of the layoffs, while less qualified men were spared. The lawsuit also claims that women at Citigroup are paid less than the men and are often ignored when it comes to promotions, bonuses, and good assignments.

The lawsuit alleges that the company promotes a male-dominated culture where most of the top and middle management positions are occupied by men, with little opportunities for women. The Senior Leadership Committee at Citigroup consists of one woman and 39 men, while the Executive Committee has no women at all, and a total of 19 men.

California employment lawyers will find it interesting that the lawsuit specifically mentions what it calls “recessionary discrimination,” alleging that the company failed shareholders by terminating the jobs of thousands of female employees, while continuing to retain the jobs of less qualified male employees. The lawsuit doesn't provide any numbers related to the overall layoffs at the company in 2008, but claims that it wasn't purely by chance that a large number of female employees were fired compared to males. Further, the lawsuit alleges that Citigroup allowed supervisors and managers to select the employees who would have to be terminated during the layoffs, allowing them to exercise their biases and personal preferences while doing so. Even the women who were not fired during those layoffs of 2008, still allegedly face discrimination in employment in Citigroup, including offensive comments, comparatively lower pay scale and poor assignments.