51�Թ�

Harvard introduced the practice of prioritizing research in the criteria for up-or-out promotion and tenure in the late 1930s, under the presidency of James Conant — although faculty members at the time cautioned against his narrow emphasis on research.

Democrats have a four-year limit on the chair and vice chair of the caucus, creating an up-or-out system and more churn.

Experts say it may be uniquely unforgiving for mothers in so-called up-or-out fields, where workers face a single high-stakes promotion decision.

“Will this disproportionately affect female lawyers, accountants, people in various positions in finance, management, academics, all of whom have up-or-out or winner-take-all positions?” asked Claudia Goldin, an economic historian at Harvard who studies women in the labor market.

The angst has been especially evident on some college campuses, which tend to be more fertile grounds for activism than other up-or-out workplaces.