Even for professors who find the time, often the very nature of their work is called into question.

"There's a difference of opinion as to the value of theory," says Pellegrini. "Interdisciplinary work is harder to evaluate because it crosses departmental boundaries... Departments retain people who maintain the narcissism of what the field is."

But even administrators like Garber who advocate departmental status for these programs acknowledge that it upset much of the Harvard establishment to do so.

Professor of Government Seyla Benhabib, chair of the Social Studies program and former chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, announced her departure for Yale this fall, saying she thought Social Studies would never attain departmental status.

Pedersen says FAS may soon pay the price if it does not devote extra attention and resources to interdisciplinary research.

"Women tend to be overrepresented in new and interdisciplinary areas of research," she writes in an e-mail message. "It is important, then, to make sure that field definitions for searches are broad enough to include those scholars. If one defines a field narrowly or without taking account of new areas of research, one can overlook top women scholars."

Mentors or Mothers?

According to the Standing Committee report, women with multiple departmental affiliations "report a real sense of overload."