A University of California, Santa Barbara professor says she was denied nearly $3 million in pay over time while a male colleague with less experience received substantially higher compensation.
Edwina Barvosa, a Harvard-trained scholar of applied social and political theory who joined UCSB in 1998, alleges that her salary was tens of thousands of dollars below that of a male professor hired eight years after her.
Her allegations, which refer to the male colleague under the pseudonym “Professor Y,” are detailed in a lawsuit filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in June.
According to the complaint, Professor Y received $232,050 in total compensation in 2023, while Barvosa was paid $150,317.
The difference increased the following year. His compensation reached $251,700, compared with Barvosa’s $157,000—a gap of $94,700.
Barvosa claims the university underpaid her by at least $991,478 in base salary. Including interest, the lawsuit places the total at roughly $2.96 million.
Her attorneys say the financial consequences may be far greater, estimating that lost pension benefits could push her total losses above $30 million over the next 39 years.
The complaint says Barvosa and Professor Y have comparable personal backgrounds: both were raised in working-class families and identify as Mexican American.
Edwina Barvosa, a UC Santa Barbara professor of social and political theory in the Department of Feminist Studies, is suing the University of California Regents over alleged gender discrimination and unequal pay
Barvosa’s original lawsuit was filed in June 2026 against the UC Regents and several named defendants, including UC President James B Milliken and Chancellor Dennis Assanis, along with unnamed parties
She later submitted an amended complaint on August 31 naming only the UC Regents and unidentified defendants
Barvosa maintains that she has roughly 10 more years of professional experience than her male counterpart.
The complaint states that Dr. Barvosa has endured—and continues to endure—significant damage because of what it describes as unlawful employment practices.
The alleged harm includes lost income and career opportunities, emotional suffering and serious physical injuries.
Named in the case are the University of California Board of Regents, UC President James Milliken, UCSB Chancellor Dennis Assanis, Executive Dean Pierre Wiltzius and Social Sciences Dean Charles Hale.
Barvosa accuses the defendants of violating California’s Equal Pay Act, along with engaging in discrimination, harassment, whistleblower retaliation and the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
She is seeking back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a court order barring the university from asserting ownership over her academic work.
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The lawsuit says Barvosa brought the alleged pay disparity to the attention of the executive dean of the College of Letters and Science. He reportedly acknowledged that she was underpaid but said his ability to address the matter was limited.
She further alleges that he declined to authorize even a $200 salary increase and refused to advance her to the rank of full professor.
Barvosa says she lost at least $991,478 in base salary, a figure that rises to approximately $2.96 million with interest. Her attorneys estimate the total impact could surpass $30 million after projected pension losses over 39 years
He allegedly argued that her book had not been fully accepted by Cambridge University Press and that she had not spent four years at her current career step.
But Barvosa’s lawyers claim the same dean had approved Professor Y’s promotion six to 12 months earlier, despite his book also being unfinished.
The complaint describes the alleged double standard as gender discrimination.
Barvosa reportedly raised her concerns in writing in December 2020. On June 14, 2021, she claims she received an unjustified reprimand and was passed over for a prestigious endowed chair. The position allegedly went to Professor Y.
The lawsuit also describes a hostile workplace. An associate dean allegedly ‘aggressively lunged across the faculty meeting table’ while pressuring Barvosa to vote for a salary increase for the dean.
The university’s research office also allegedly blocked a discrimination study she was conducting with the University of Texas, accusing her of plagiarism. Her sabbatical was reportedly delayed over a research report she had submitted years earlier.
The complaint further alleges tensions between white and minority faculty members. It describes one professor who insisted on the right to routinely use the N-word despite complaints from graduate students.
Barvosa claims the dispute took a serious toll on her health. She alleges she suffered a partial finger loss and a permanent knee injury.
She also claims years of workplace stress contributed to a heart attack on December 9, 2024, despite having no other risk factors.
Her department reportedly voted unanimously, 9-0, to advance her this year. However, the university’s top personnel committee allegedly recommended no salary increase.
The lawsuit comes as UCSB faces scrutiny over a separate discrimination controversy involving its Alpha Phi sorority chapter.
Members accused a volunteer recruitment adviser from the sorority’s national organization of sidelining women of color during autumn recruitment. They alleged that a diverse group of prospective recruits disappeared from the candidate pool, while current sisters of color were left off recruitment schedules.
The adviser was subsequently removed. The university said discrimination complaints are reviewed by its Office of Discrimination and Harassment Prevention but did not confirm whether it was investigating the specific allegations.
The allegations have not been established in court. The Daily Mail has reached out to UCSB for comment.