Company behind 'Fearless Girl' statue hit with $5M fine for underpaid female workers

The irony: Even the "Fearless Girl" statue — a popular recent addition to New York City's Financial District — can't get a fair shake from the boys.

The financial services company behind the statue has agreed to pay $4.5 million in back pay and another $500,000 in interest to settle claims it paid hundreds of 305 female employees less than their male counterparts in the same positions.

According to the Department of Labor in its agreement, State Street Corporation also discriminated against 15 black employees, paying them less than white workers in the same roles.

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The pay issues date back to 2010, according to federal officials, with the investigation kicking off in late 2012.

State Street did not immediately return TheWrap's request for comment. In a statement to The Associated Press, the company pushed back against its newfound reputation.

The firm is "committed to equal pay practices and evaluates on an ongoing basis our internal processes to be sure our compensation, hiring and promotions programs are nondiscriminatory," according to the statement.

The bronze "Fearless Girl" has drawn robust crowds since it was placed in juxtaposition to the Wall Street "Charging Bull" statue in March.

State Street said the statue was meant to celebrate International Women's Day and reflect "the power of women in leadership, and the potential of the next generation of women leaders." (In hindsight, nothing about equal pay was mentioned in its statement.)

Although it's become a crowd favorite, others have groaned about it promoting "corporate feminism," as one Guardian writer put it. Crowds looking to get a picture with the underpaid fearless girl have until International Women's Day 2018, when the statue is planned to be removed.