This is a very interesting question, and deserves to be answered carefully. First of all, let me say anyone may plan to do anything they want; this doesn't mean that they are going to be able to fulfill those plans. If a woman sees herself as a housewife down the line, yet qualifies for a coveted fellowship or clerkship or whatever, then she qualifies for it.  So be it. Remember, no one can summon the future; her story-book marriage might end in divorce, and in that case, she will be well-served by having created bona fides and credentials so that she can support herself.We get into murkier waters if that highly prized associateship or fellowship has the following question on the application form: "Do you intend to remain in this profession as a long-term career?" To answer in the negative might doom one's chances, but to answer in the positive, for the aforementioned woman, might be a lie. I suppose she should use the space to say, as equivocally as possible, that allowing for her to be a wife and mother, she saw herself as a lawyer for the foreseeable future. This kind of tap-dancing might be frowned on by some, but it strikes me as absolutely ethical. It is not our job to shoot ourselves in the foot when an attractive opportunity for which we might be qualified comes along. If someone else who wishes to dedicate his/her life to a certain profession is less qualified, it strikes me as their problem, not ours.

Very tough question! Suppose a person studies law only to go into politics, or studies literature only to become a lawyer, and so on. I feel that in these cases we would accept them getting the most coveted fellowships as they will be using the tools of one trade in another, and thus helping in the dissemination of techniques between fields.

Is motherhood not a new field? Is whatever she learned really like wearing a nice necklace, saying "I went to Yale" as a kind of flower in her hair, even if only for her own aesthetic appreciation? Or will the baby gain from what she learned? Obviously the baby will gain, but what if 18 years later that baby can't get the fellowship or clerkship they so desire because someone like their own mother got it, only to drop out later?

JPM, you make the valid point that she can't foresee the future and what it brings, which is true, but look at the following case: 2 people are competing for a can of food. One of them is famished while the other a rich person with a lot of food. It's true that the rich person might lose all their money and at some point need this can, but don't we think the hungry person should get it? Of course the way life goes we constantly gather cans we don't need, but that's how our economy operates.

To conclude, on one hand I think everyone constantly behaves in this way on a certain level, but on the other hand, I feel what you're saying Imogen. As long as what is involved are the less prestigious fellowships and schools I don't see a problem, but what about clerking for a supreme court judge? What about getting accepted to any very selective programs?
Of course, one shouldn't confuse this question with the question of whether after working in such clerkship, after benefiting from distinguished fellowships, is it ok to leave the profession if one has a change of hearts, to which my answer is an unequivocal yes.