Pinstripes and Breast Pumps: Navigating the Tenure-Motherhood-Track

Guided by the competing sociological concepts of the ideal worker and intensive mothering, and building on previous research on women in academia, the intent of this paper is to critically examine the transition to motherhood while being a junior faculty member in a tenure-track position. Issues related to the pregnant body and how it alters scholarly identity through the internal gaze as well as the subjectivities from the institution are examined. The significance of leisure-based friendships for social support, personal health, well-being, and identity reconstruction and expression are emphasized. Despite the documented difficulties and negative outcomes, I argue that in many ways being a parent and a scholar are complementary and can strengthen the very creation of knowledge.