> By not paying equivalent wages the company opens itself up to lawsuits.
Depending on what you mean by "equivalent", yes it could make some claims of discrimination based on race/sex/etc slightly harder to defend against. It does not "open" a company to lawsuits as opposed to being closed to suits by paying equivalent wages. It is one of many many things that could be a factor in such cases. And a lot of companies decide it is worthwhile to do despite that.
> You can and should ask your peers what they make. This is totally legal and encouraged.
It's not encouraged by many companies, and some try to discourage it including by trying to get employees to agree not to, whether or not it's legal.
Depending on what you mean by "equivalent", yes it could make some claims of discrimination based on race/sex/etc slightly harder to defend against. It does not "open" a company to lawsuits as opposed to being closed to suits by paying equivalent wages. It is one of many many things that could be a factor in such cases. And a lot of companies decide it is worthwhile to do despite that.
> You can and should ask your peers what they make. This is totally legal and encouraged.
It's not encouraged by many companies, and some try to discourage it including by trying to get employees to agree not to, whether or not it's legal.