My name was removed from the research I led

Dear Delyara, I spent four years leading a research project on maternal health outcomes. I designed the methodology, recruited participants, cleaned the data, and wrote most of the first draft. While I was on maternity leave, the senior investigator submitted the paper with my name moved from second author to the acknowledgements. He said my contribution had become “less central” because I was unavailable during revisions. I found out when a colleague congratulated me on the publication. The paper is already being cited. My work is travelling through academic journals without carrying me with it. I have filed a formal complaint, but the university warns that authorship disputes are difficult to prove and could damage my relationship with the department. The senior investigator has funding, influence, and a reputation for mentoring women. I have a temporary contract and a baby who wakes three times a night. Everyone advises me to be strategic. Strategic seems to mean swallowing theft quietly enough that powerful people can continue calling themselves supportive.