ABSTRACT
Sometimes the research journey begins because you read an article or a book and something just does not ring true-or the topic simply attracts your interest when a conversation or event contradicts conventional wisdom. My research journey into maternity leave policy and practice began when my interest was piqued on two separate occasions in two different parts of the country. Two women from two very different academic disciplines confided to me two very similar stories. The first young woman was considering not having a baby because it might be “frowned upon” by her colleagues who would be voting on her promotion status. The second woman-also a nontenured female assistant professor-confided that she had not taken any maternity leave after the birth of her child because she did not want to be “judged harshly” by her colleagues. My first thought after hearing both stories was, “what have we done to our daughters?”
