A senior female academic has been awarded more than £35,000 after an employment tribunal found she was denied a promotion and underpaid because she is a woman.
The Case of Dr Eliane Bodanese
Dr Eliane Bodanese, a senior lecturer in engineering at Queen Mary University of London, took her employer to an employment tribunal in East London after being twice rejected for promotion. The tribunal heard that a male colleague, Dr John Schormans, was promoted instead, despite Dr Bodanese bringing in over £130,000 more in research grant money as a project leader.
Employment Judge Catrin Lewis ruled that the university's decisions were 'tainted by sex' and that Dr Bodanese had been underpaid. She was awarded a total of £35,500, comprising £30,724 in equal pay arrears and associated pension contributions.
Maternity Leave and 'Tainted' Criteria
Dr Bodanese, who started at the university in 2003 and was promoted to senior lecturer in 2012, took maternity leave between 2013 and 2014. She argued that this break impacted her ability to secure new research grants afterwards, a factor she said was held against her in promotion applications.
The tribunal found that Professor Wen Wang, the vice principal of the faculty, introduced assessment criteria that were 'tainted by sex'. Judge Lewis stated that requiring an active research grant from the previous five years disproportionately disadvantaged women due to the career impact of taking maternity leave.
'I find that the requirement to have an active research grant... did put women at a disadvantage due to the effect of maternity leave, and that is tainted by sex,' the judge concluded.
Disparity in Assessment and Outcomes
The tribunal examined the evidence in detail, noting that Dr Bodanese had more research citations and had secured £732,000 in grants as a project leader, compared to Dr Schormans's approximately £600,000. Despite this, her 2022 promotion application was rejected on grounds of insufficient research performance.
Judge Lewis stated she was 'satisfied that Dr Schormans was assessed more generously' by the promotion panel. The judge also noted a 'glass ceiling' effect within the faculty, with only one woman at the top of the senior lecturer pay scale compared to 14 men.
While Dr Bodanese's claims of direct and indirect sex discrimination were dismissed, her equal pay case succeeded. The ruling highlights ongoing challenges around gender equality, maternity leave, and promotion fairness in UK higher education.
