Female students at Barnard College, a women’s college in New York City, are claiming that their female professors get paid less than male professors.
Flyers that say “Barnard has always paid women less” have cropped up over campus in what appears to be a student campaign of support for the Barnard College contingent/adjunct faculty union. The Barnard adjunct union has recently announced that they will strike if a contract has not been finalized by the end of February, according to the Columbia Spectator.
The flyers were put up across campus by the Barnard student organization, Student-Worker Solidarity. Shortly after the flyers appeared across campus, they took credit for these posters on their Facebook page.
The student group was founded in 2012 as Students Support Barnard Workers and changed its name shortly after. The group has been influential in supporting Barnard clerical workers, improving working conditions for dining hall workers, and advocating for restaurant workers.
“Barnard students support the Barnard Contingent Faculty union’s right to strike because…” is how the flyer seen around campus begins before making the claim that Barnard pays women less than men.
While the flyer does not source their claim, they do note that Barnard College’s contingent faculty (many of which are adjuncts) is comprised of over 70 percent women.
There appears to be no evidence that Barnard pays their female professors less than male professors of an equal rank and academic background.
Adjuncts at Barnard College are currently fighting to raise the base compensation rate for a three-credit course to $7,000, which is short of their initial $15,000 proposal. They are also lobbying for better health care options and improved health care benefits.
