Why are young women less likely than young men to persist in academic science and engineering? Drawing on 57 in-depth interviews with PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the United States, we describe how, in academic science and engineering, motherhood is constructed in opposition to professional legitimacy, and as a subject of fear, repudiation, and public controversy. We call this the “specter of motherhood.” This specter disadvantages young women and amplifies anticipatory concerns about combining an academic career with motherhood. By specifying (1) the content of cultural discourses about motherhood in academic workplaces and (2) the processes by which these ideas circulate, produce disadvantage, and inform young, childless scientists and engineers’ career plans, our findings offer novel insight into mechanisms contributing to inequality in academic careers.

为什么年轻女性比年轻男性坚持学术科学和工程学的可能性更低？通过对美国的博士研究生和博士后学者进行的57次深度访谈，我们描述了在学术科学和工程学中，如何建立母亲制以反对职业合法性，并如何将其作为恐惧，抵赖和公众争议的主题。我们称其为“母亲的幽灵”。这种幽灵使年轻妇女处于不利地位，并加剧了人们对将学术生涯与母性相结合的担忧。通过指定（1）学术场所有关母性的文化论述的内容，以及（2）这些想法传播，产生不利影响并为年轻，无子女的科学家和工程师的职业计划提供信息的过程，