US regulators accuse Google of underpaying female workers

Google and other technology companies have been trying to improve hiring practices that have historically doled out most of their technical jobs to white and Asian men.

The Labor Department is now scrutinizing Silicon Valley for patterns of pay and hiring discrimination under its powers to vet companies that bid for lucrative government contracts.

Earlier this year, the Labor Department also sued Oracle, alleging that the business software maker routinely pays white male workers more than their female and non-white counterparts for comparable jobs.