Microsoft Corp. says, while the company is “keenly aware ofgender imbalance in the tech industry,” a federal class actionseeking to advance the discrimination claims of more than 8,600former and current female employees is not the right avenue totackle the issue.

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The case in the U.S. District Court for the Western District ofWashington against the Redmond, Washington-based tech companyargues that systemic practices across the company’s office createda disparity for advancement and equal pay for women in engineering and technical rolescompared to men in comparable positions.

Microsoft’s opposition to class certification,filed Friday in federal court, reveals the tension the companyfaces as it fights the class claims while acknowledging internaland broader efforts to improve gender equality and diversity in theindustry.

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The tech industry has been under the microscope for genderinequity, and several other major companies have faced similarlawsuits, including Alphabet Inc’s Google and Uber Technologies.The U.S. Labor Department also has open investigationsagainst Google and Oracle.

The court filing, filed Friday, goes on to detail the company’sefforts to improve diversity and inclusion, including a $55 millioninvestment per year in programs, a mandatory companywideunconscious bias training and an internal investigationprocess.

“In over twenty years of committed diversity and inclusionefforts, Microsoft has learned that diversity is not a finite goal,but a process that requires constant self-assessment andre-commitment,” Microsoft’s attorneys at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe wrotein a response to class certification. “Microsoft is keenly aware ofthe gender imbalance in the tech industry and is deeply invested inimproving it.”

Orrick partner Mark Parris in Seattle and partners Lynne Hermleand Jessica Perry in Silicon Valley represent the company in thecase.

The complaint against Microsoft was spearheaded by threewomen—Katherine Moussouris, Holly Muenchow and Dana Piermarini—andthey want to draw in 8,630 other women who worked forthe company since 2012.

Attorneys at Outten & Golden, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann &Bernstein and Frank Freed, Subit & Thomas represent the womenin this case.

They argue that women in engineering and tech roles werediscriminated against by the company with lower pay and feweropportunities for promotions.

It notes a system used to rank employees that the case argueshas a disparate impact on women and the internal complaint process falls short ofprotecting women workers against retaliation anddiscrimination.

An analysis of this “calibration process” submitted in courtfilings found that women received 500 fewer promotions than menwith similar characteristics would have received.

It claims Microsoft attempted to sidestep the issue bypublishing two “misleading” pay equity studies and pursuingdiversity and inclusion programs.

Microsoft, meanwhile, argues against the class, saying the womenare “scattered” across offices in dozens of offices and do notidentify a discriminatory practice. The company defended itspractice of evaluating employees. It claims the class is notcohesive.

Attorneys for the women and Microsoft did not immediatelyrespond to request for comment.