Class Action Filed Over Apparent Gender Pay Discrimination Among University of Arizona Science Professors

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A proposed class action filed against the Arizona Board of Regents claims female faculty members at the University of Arizona’s College of Science are paid significantly less than their male counterparts, as well as denied equal access to resources and leadership opportunities.

According to the lawsuit, the school engages in a pattern of discrimination against female educators by denying deserved promotions and raises while restricting their access to research assistants and mentoring opportunities. In the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, for example, nearly half the associate professors are women, according to the complaint, while women make up just 12.5 percent of the department's full professors.

The plaintiff in the case, a tenured associate professor, says she was unfairly denied a promotion to professor despite “remarkable credentials and achievements” and “glowing letters of reference.” The case alleges that several of the plaintiff’s male counterparts with equal or less experience are paid tens of thousands of dollars more.

When the plaintiff complained to the University about the discrimination, the school allegedly retaliated against her by reducing her laboratory space, requiring her to waive a prerequisite to one of her courses, and refusing to allow her to instruct a course she designed.