Mothers in Academia

While more mothers are increasingly occupying institutions of higher learning, they still struggle to make headway in a world that privileges a commitment to countless hours of scholarly research and study. Despite some advances in institutional policy, these women continue to feel isolated and the need to strive for respect. Featuring forthright testimonials by women who are or have been mothers as undergraduates, graduate students, academic staff, administrators, and professors, this volume intimately portrays the experiences of women at various stages of motherhood while theoretically and empirically considering the conditions of working motherhood as academic life has become more laborious. As higher learning institutions move toward more corporate-based models of teaching, the immense structural and cultural changes are transforming women’s academic lives and, by extension, their families. Gendered parenting is also explored within the contexts of colonialism, racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, ageism, and heterosexism. These essays reveal often stark differences between women’s encounters with the academy and the disparities among various ranks of women working in academia. contributors—many including women of color—call attention to tokenism, a scarcity of valuable networks, and a persistent burden to prove academic credentials. Hoping to push reform as well as build recognition and a sense of community, this collection offers a number of potential solutions for integrating female scholars more wholly into academic life.