Wal-mart may be the country’s largest non-government employer and is the 2nd richest corporation as listed in the Forbes 500 but all that money isn’t really going anywhere, least of all, to the pay of their female employees.

A 7-year sex discrimination lawsuit has been pending since a judge in California allowed 6 former employees to represent around 1.6 million female employees with similar complaints in what would be the largest class action lawsuit in history – but naturally, Wal-mart appealed, and all the way to the Supreme Court.

The decision is still pending but the corporation has argued that it is “too big to be sued.” But as alleged in the case of Dukes v. Walmart, figures clearly show that the “pattern and practice” of gender discrimination at work and that back pay and promotions should be awarded to the company’s female employees.

Here are some numbers about women at work in Walmart:

• Although almost 70 percent of its employees are women, less than 1/3 of all managers are females
• Female employees in management positions may have increased to 14.3 percent since the lawsuit was filed, but most of the female employees are in the lowest level jobs
• Female store managers earn an average of $89,300 annually compared to male managers who make $105,700
• 93 percent of all cashiers are women but they made less than their male counterparts ($13,800 for women to $14,500 for men in the same position)

Statistics further show that Wal-mart employs majority of the working poor, particularly, adult women who are mostly white and mostly high school educated. If Wal-mart, with assets over $800 billion just paid women fairly – giving as little as a nickel on the dollar, it would be enough to lift women above the poverty line and the company out of hot water for its discriminatory practices.

Unfortunately, with Wal-mart fighting the favorable decision and the class action of its female employees every step of the way to the Supreme Court, the upcoming decision will mark a milestone in the fight against gender discrimination at work. If all goes well for the employees, the company would have to correct its gender-biased practices and be liable to more than a million employees but if Wal-mart wins, it could also put a roadblock on all future sex discrimination complaints at work.