UCSB professor sues UC Regents, alleges gender-based discrimination

Edwina Barvosa, a professor of social and political theory in UC Santa Barbara’s Department of Feminist Studies, has filed a lawsuit against the University of California Regents for alleged gender-based discrimination and unequal pay.

According to Barvosa’s lawsuit, UCSB administrators discriminated against her based on gender throughout her tenure at UCSB. She alleges that the University has paid her significantly less than similarly situated male faculty, obstructed her academic advancement, subjected her to harassment and retaliated against her for reporting discriminatory practices. Barvosa also works as affiliated faculty in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies and the Department of Political Science, and has been at UCSB since 1998.

The initial lawsuit was filed in June 2026 against the UC Regents and multiple named defendants — including UC President James B. Milliken and Chancellor Dennis Assanis — as well as unidentified defendants. However, Barvosa later filed an amended complaint against only the UC Regents and unidentified defendants on Aug. 31.

Barvosa’s allegations of unequal pay were based on her compensation relative to a male colleague identified only as “Professor Y.” According to the lawsuit, Professor Y joined UCSB’s faculty in 2006 — eight years after Barvosa — and “Barvosa has about a decade of work experience more than Professor Y.” In addition, it claims that although both professors performed similar work, Barvosa has been paid approximately $2,957,526 “less than Professor Y in base salary over the years” they have both worked at UCSB.

The lawsuit details that despite “astonishing similarities” in Barvosa and Professor Y’s background and experience in academia, “Professor Y has been rapidly promoted over the years” while not being held to the same standards for career advancement “that Dr. Barvosa and other female faculty have been held to.” It also describes how Professor Y’s published works are not of “the same level” as Barvosa’s publications.

In order to address these perceived discrepancies, Barvosa contacted the executive dean of the UCSB College of Letters and Science at the time. According to the lawsuit, the executive dean acknowledged Barvosa was underpaid but subsequently denied her a raise and promotion to full professor, citing her failure to meet certain academic requirements. However, the lawsuit alleges that Professor Y had previously been promoted to full professor despite not meeting those same standards.

The lawsuit alleges that the treatment that Barvosa faced is not a lone occurrence, and that the UC system and UCSB “has intentionally engaged in a pattern and practice of discriminating against women.”

In addition to alleged pay disparities, the lawsuit details multiple instances in which Barvosa reported discriminatory practices to UCSB administrators. In October 2018, Barvosa submitted a written complaint to then-Department of Feminist Studies Chair Laury Oaks, alleging that the department lacked consistent standards for compensation and promotion reviews. According to the lawsuit, these inconsistencies disproportionately affected underrepresented minority faculty.

Barvosa continued to raise concerns about the department’s personnel review practices throughout the following years. Between 2020 and 2022, she submitted multiple written complaints and verbally communicated her grievances to university administrators.

Beyond unequal pay, Barvosa alleges that UCSB administrators retaliated against her for reporting discriminatory practices, “punitively” assigning her “major bureaucratic work” and obstructing her academic research.

In April 2021, Barvosa applied for the MacArthur Foundation UC Endowed Chair position, a prestigious academic appointment that can significantly advance a faculty member’s career, according to the lawsuit. She was denied the position in June 2021, with the University instead offering it to Professor Y. However, the lawsuit claims that Barvosa was “equally or more qualified” for the position.

Barvosa also alleges that UCSB obstructed her research opportunities. In June 2023, UCSB’s Office of Research withheld approval for her participation in a University of Texas research position, citing alleged plagiarism in her research proposal. The lawsuit claims this accusation was “baseless” and damaged her professional reputation.

The complaint also details Barvosa’s 2025-26 merit review, during which she was denied academic advancement and a salary increase despite unanimous support from her department. Although the Department of Feminist Studies had voted 9-0 in favor of Barvosa’s “advancement
from Professor IV to Professor V and recommended a corresponding salary increase,” the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Personnel recommended that she receive neither advancement nor a raise, citing deficiencies in research and teaching.

Barvosa also alleges that these conflicting recommendations reflect inconsistent standards in UCSB’s merit-review process and that the committee’s decision was influenced by individuals who had previously demonstrated hostility towards her complaints.

In addition to alleged financial and professional consequences, Barvosa’s lawsuit claims that she suffered significant physical and emotional harm as a result of her treatment at UCSB, including a stress-induced heart attack in December 2024 which she claims arose due to the “strains of her unequal working conditions.”

Barvosa is seeking compensation for lost wages, employment benefits, emotional distress and other damages. Her amended complaint outlines five causes of action, including violations of California’s Equal Pay Act, discrimination, harassment and whistleblower retaliation.

UCSB Media Spokesperson Kiki Reyes declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

The Daily Nexus will continue to report on this subject as more information becomes available.

A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the Oct. 15, 2026 print edition of the Daily Nexus.