Hundreds Of Female Colorado Professors Awarded Back Pay In Gender Pay Gap Suit

Inside High Ed, Female CU Boulder Professors Awarded Back Pay in Gender Pay Gap Suit:

Hundreds of female faculty members at the University of Colorado Boulder will get back pay as part of a $4.5 million settlement in a gender discrimination lawsuit filed against the university, Colorado Public Radio reported last week.

“CU Boulder is committed to providing fair and equitable wages to all employees across all disciplines,” Nicole Mueksch, a university spokesperson, told the public radio station. “As part of its continuous commitment to salary equity, the university will ensure academic units maintain salary equity among faculty members, maintain transparency in faculty salaries and conduct a campus-wide salary equity analysis every three years.”

The case stemmed from an equity review in 2021, which found that 386 female-identifying faculty members—many of whom are at the top of their fields—at CU Boulder weren’t being paid as much as their male counterparts.

Colorado Public Radio, A $4.5 Million Settlement Means CU Boulder Female Faculty Will Receive Back Pay:

Under the settlement, CU Boulder will pay 386 female faculty members back pay and will agree to conduct follow-up equity reviews every three years. The university also agreed to make wages of current faculty and job applicants available to the public in the future. ...

The $4.5 million in backpay includes $1.1 million in attorney’s fees. ... For each faculty member, the backpay alone ranged between hundreds of dollars to nearly $50,000 for some faculty members across disciplines, including world-class scientists and scholars.

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