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The University of Arizona has agreed to pay $100,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by Dr. Katrina Miranda, a tenured associate professor who alleged she faced gender discrimination at the university.
Miranda, who teaches in the university’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, claimed that there’s a pattern of systematic discrimination against female faculty members in UA’s College of Science.
In a joint statement from the regents and Miranda, she said she brought the lawsuit to “highlight the importance of gender equity in the sciences and both parties reaffirm the continuing importance of this issue.”
“The University recognizes the Plaintiff’s contributions to her discipline and the College of Science and wishes her well as she continues her academic pursuits at the University,” the statement said.
Miranda alleged that she was underpaid and denied promotions even though she received positive performance reviews.
According to the suit, Miranda was underpaid by $9,000 to $36,000 per year from 2016 to 2018 compared with male professors of similar or lesser seniority and performance.
The lawsuit adds that Miranda earned about $100,000 for the 2017-18 academic year, while a male chemistry professor made $130,500, despite joining the university and getting tenure the same year as Miranda.
Miranda also alleged in her lawsuit that female professors were “subjected to humiliating and demeaning treatment” by male leaders and don’t have equal access to resources, including research assistants and mentoring opportunities.
“Dr. Miranda’s experiences are emblematic of these prevailing patterns and trends at the college. Despite her remarkable credentials and achievements, her pay has languished at inordinately low levels for years, and she has been denied a long-earned promotion to (full) professor,” the lawsuit claimed.
Unfortunately, the University of Arizona isn’t the first to be accused of gender discrimination. Earlier this month, Riot Games agreed to pay $10 million to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by female employees.
The lawsuit began in November 2018 when two women who had worked at the game studio claimed they routinely faced sexual harassment and gender discrimination. The approximately 1,000 women who worked at Riot Games from November 2014 until the date the settlement is finalized will be entitled to a payment.