An Indiana University School of Medicine professor is suing the school for gender discrimination. The professor alleges that she was paid far less than male professors who had considerably less experience than she did.
The professor has worked for Indiana University since 1986 and has been tenured with the school since 2001. Her current salary of $74,600 is comparatively less than three professors whose starting salary was approximately $92,000. Such a differentiation is especially striking considering her level of job experience. Also, many tenured professors at the school are paid more than $100,000 per year.
The professor in question apparently formally complained about her salary in 2003, but ever since she had filed her grievance working conditions have continually gotten worse for her. She has been reviewed negatively for alleged lower productivity, but still was named that national educator of the year in 2009 from the American Physiological Society.
Such a lawsuit is indicative that gender discrimination might be as present in institutions of higher education as any other profession. It would seem that universities would understand the consequences of gender discrimination more than most places of employment, and yet the discrimination and retaliation continues to take place in any case.
When gender discrimination does take place it’s often best to seek the counsel and advice of a seasoned attorney in the area of employment and employment discrimination. As indicated by the above circumstances, such a circumstance left alone almost never improve over time. In fact, circumstances often get worse. Sometimes only the threat of litigation will force such institutions to make needed changes.
Source: IBJ News, “Professor sues IU medical school for gender discrimination,” by J.K. Wall, Jan. 24, 2012
