And, sorry, but this blog isn't what Diana Rhoten's piece implies it might be. My "barely" refers to how long it's been since the decision was made not, not to any personal or institutional insecurity I might be experiencing about the status. I'm not about to leave for greener pastures ex-academe. I'm enjoying my sabbatical in a wamer climate, and will happily go back to my "real" job in a couple of months. And, actually, I enjoy my narrow specialization, too, and am grateful to live in a society rich enough that a few people get to pursue it.
If anything, I'm an example of another overdiscussed phenomenon: women who are, uh, taking it easy, uh, by not pursuring high-powered university careers. I work at a liberal arts college, and I sought such a job in part because I knew I'd have an unusual level of family obligations the whole way along: chronically mentally ill mother, chronically physically ill husband, etc. etc. (really, all that is what most of this blog is about). Also because I care enough about teaching that I want my work on it to be considered in the formal reward structure, but that's a whole other story.
Go check out the Invisible Adjunct archives (oddly, not linked from Rhoten's piece!). Follow her links for a more relevant story (although still one very different from the outright peculiar one Rhoten tries to tell).
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