Derailed by the Mommy Track

Abstract

Women in the labor market have often faced wage penalties, hiring and promotion discrimination, and have been “mommy tracked” into occupations and/or industries deemed more appropriate for women trying to balance work and family obligations. This chapter explores an explanation for this continued workplace inequality in academia, with specific focus at the intersection of organizational policies and institutional expectations that do not align with these policies. In addition, academic mothers face an inequitable emotional labor expectation that exacerbates this inequality. It is through this intersectional lens that we can better understand the reproduction and maintenance of workplace inequalities facing mothers in institutions of higher education. The chapter concludes with solutions and recommendations for those seeking to keep mothers in academia employed, productive, and on the tenure track instead of the mommy track.