Mothers on the Fast Track

A dean who conducted a widely cited study showing that having children wreaks havoc on the careers of academic women has written a book about how working mothers can raise children and hold high-pressure jobs. Women who want to remain on the fast track after becoming mothers should stay in the game, taking off as little time as possible, the authors say. Those women also need supportive partners, in-home child care, and an ability to work on what the authors call “mother time.” That means women must say no to evening meetings and lots of business travel, so they can have dinner with their children and attend their school events. But it also means going back to work after the kids are in bed.

Mary Ann Mason Mothers on the Fast Track: How a New Generation Can Balance Family and Careers Oxford University Press, 2007.