Dual Career Families

A dual-career family has been defined as a couple whose work meets three basic criteria: (a) employment that is important to the individuals, (b) employment that has a developmental sequence over time, and (c) employment that has a high degree of commitment by each individual (Hiller and Dyehouse as cited in Spiker-Miller and Kees (1995).

            Fewer families follow the traditional model of wife as primary caregiver and husband as primary breadwinner. As families make plans for the future of their family and careers, gender roles tend to break down when couples experience dual-career dynamics.

            Five concerns faced by dual-career families are: (a) interpersonal tension caused by expectations, (b) role conflict, (c) childcare issues, (d) relationship conflicts, and (e) personal factors.

            Nearly all families face conflict between work and family roles (Tatman et al, 2006).  Although a study by Gilbert, as cited in Zunker (2006) reports that dual-career families are committed to supporting each other in a role-sharing environment, personal experience suggests that Goldenberg and Goldenberg (2002) are closer to reality when describing the balance between work and family. Interpersonal tension arises when couples have difficulty fulfilling undefined family roles. The division of household work coupled with the responsibility of career can create tension in the home environment.

As the family system moves away from traditional roles, men and women may experience role-conflict in a dual-career family. Again, the division and fair balance of household tasks can lead to miscommunication, resentment and role-overload. As a result, the family unit suffers from such a negatively charged environment.

With both parents working, childcare issues become a “critical issue” (Zunker, 2006, p. 331).  Finding appropriate childcare that complements working parents’ work hours, budget, and expectations is difficult and stressful. Additionally, parents may have concern about their children spending long hours away from the home environment in a daycare center. From personal experience, the first two weeks are the most heart wrenching; dropping off a crying child in an unfamiliar environment creates feelings of guilt and regret.

Two individuals, focused on career achievement, and committed to marital bliss, may find themselves in out-of-balance when it comes to the decision-making process (Zunker, 2006). In order to foster and nurture a healthy, balanced dual-career family, partners should strive towards equity in the decision making process.

Lastly, individual career development stages can greatly affect one partner’s viewpoint on another partner’s career goals. One partner may have experienced vocational success and reached the point where career has become secondary to family activities. In this situation, the partner who is still striving for career success may feel unsupported, guilty for a sense of achievement, or even held-back.