Edwina Barvosa, professor in the department of feminist studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has filed a gender-based pay discrimination lawsuit against the University of California’s board of regents, according to a report from UC Santa Barbara’s student newspaper, the Daily Nexus.
Dr. Barvosa has been a faculty member at UC Santa Barbara since 1998. Her lawsuit alleges that university administrators have discriminated against her by paying her significantly less than male colleagues performing the same work. She also claims the university has obstructed her academic advancement, subjected her to harassment, and retaliated against her for reporting discrimination.
According to Dr. Barvosa, a male colleague (identified as Professor Y) who joined the UC Santa Barbara faculty in 2006, had been paid some $2,957,526 more than Dr. Barvosa throughout the past two decades. Dr. Barvosa says she and Professor Y have similar backgrounds and experience in academia, yet “Professor Y has been rapidly promoted over the years” and has not been held to the same academic standards as his female peers.
For example, Dr. Barvosa says she applied for the university’s MacArthur Foundation UC Endowed Chair in 2021, but was denied the position. Instead, the university offered the prestigious appointment to Professor Y, who, according to the lawsuit, was less qualified than Dr. Barvosa for the position.
The lawsuit also mentions multiple instances over the past several years in which Dr. Barvosa reported discriminatory practices in compensation and promotion review to university administrators. But the university allegedly did not take appropriate action following those complaints, and administrators retaliated against Dr. Barvosa for raising those concerns by assigning her “major bureaucratic work” and obstructing her research. Dr. Barvosa also claims that she was unfairly denied from participating in a research position at the University of Texas in 2023.
Furthermore, Dr. Barvosa’s lawsuit details her 2025–2026 merit review, during which she was denied advancement and a salary increase. Although the department of feminist studies had unanimously voted in favor of Dr. Barvosa’s promotion, the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Personnel recommended she not receive a promotion or compensation increase.
Dr. Barvosa says these instances of discrimination have caused her significant physical and emotional stress. In December 2024, Dr. Barvosa had a stress-induced heart attack, which she claims was a result of the “strains of her unequal working conditions.”
In her lawsuit, Dr. Barvosa seeks compensation for lost wages, employment benefits, emotional stress, and other damages. She cites five causes of action, including violations of California’s Equal Pay Act, discrimination, harassment, and whistleblower retaliation.