Dual Career Marriages - A Case Study

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Caroline and Jonathan have been married for six years. During these years, each has had to make decisions concerning their careers to accommodate each other. Two companies have now confronted Jonathan with a career opportunity, those being Ohio Energy Systems and Ewing Oil. He must decide by September 28 what opportunity to act upon, taking into account the effects it will have on his career, Caroline's career, and their marriage.

Both individuals come from traditional families and are career orientated people. Caroline believes the women in her life were career women but this is not entirely true. Her father held an executive job that forced continuous movement. Where as her mother held a 'traditional' position as a school teacher and she was not permitted to have work "interfere with home life and child-rearing responsibilities". On the other hand, Jonathan had a mother who devoted herself to the well-being of her husband and son. Where as his father was a business man that earned a high income, allowing the family to live in a comfortable home with a luxury lifestyle. Caroline and Jonathan appear to be leading a life that is different from their parents but this is not entirely true. It is noteworthy to mention, that each has a traditional role within the marriage. For example, Jonathan is responsible for the financial aspects of the home while Caroline is responsible for the household chores. At the beginning of the marriage, they attempted to have a "weekend marriage" but this was a great strain and Caroline sacrificed her career by finding a job closer to Jonathan. This demonstrates they are traditional within the marriage, although Caroline has an untraditional career.

As both Caroline and Jonathan hold dual citizenship in Canada and the United States, they have frequently discussed the possibility of working in Canada. They concluded the Canadian market is less competitive and offers more options than Ohio. However, Caroline considers Canadian culture to be slower than U.S. culture concerning the treatment toward women.

In June 1990, a Canadian utility company asked Caroline to consider the possibility of joining their company. Upon consideration, Caroline became less enthusiastic about the position and decided to decline the offer. Then in mid September, Ohio Randle Corporation offered her a job in the organizational development department. This position would provide an increase in salary, double responsibility, and a great opportunity to learn and advance. The Bank of Ontario also interviewed her for a junior position and told Caroline an opportunity might open later in the year.

Simultaneously, Jonathan reluctantly extended his own job search to Ontario. Both the Bank of Ontario and Ewing Oil offered him positions. The position at Ewing Oil offered a major salary increase, a chance to work in a new and challenging field, and a request to begin work November 1. At the same time, he received an offer from Plöp Engineering to join the Personnel Department. This position would represent a sizeable pay increase but only a lateral move in responsibility.

In all dual career marriages, problems or issues must be considered. One issue that arises between dual career partners transportation. Who is going to take the car to work and how will the other get to work? This is only a minor concern and can easily be resolved. Another concern is the increase in money they will earn. Caroline and Jonathan must consider who will be responsible for managing the funds. For example, will each maintain their own income or is it pooled together. Presently, Jonathan manages the finances for the home but each maintains their own accounts, contributing equally to the home. They must then decide where the money will be spent and invested. Again this is only a minor concern and can easily be addressed. However, there are more serious issues and problems that must be considered in dual-career marriages.

To begin, Caroline and Jonathan must arrange how they will divide the household responsibilities. As both partners are busy with work, they must divide the responsibilities evenly. For example, the couple must decide who will be responsible for the laundry, grocery shopping, cleanliness of the house, and meals. The division of responsibilities should not leave one feeling as if they are holding down two jobs.

Today, jobs are demanding and stressful. This leaves a twofold affect on dual-career marriages. First, employers expect employees to work sixty to seventy hours a week, leaving little time for oneself. If two people are working this many hours, it makes it difficult to spend quality time with each other. Luckily , Caroline and Jonathan realize the need for time together and take the time to plan quality time with each other. The other side of jobs today is the increase in stress among individuals. Since both partners are experiencing this stress, it is necessary for them to learn to cope with the stress and prevent it from entering the marriage.

With both people working in the marriage, they can assume that each will have different goals, aspirations, and missions. Recognizing and accepting the differences between each other's is important. If both parties want to be successful with their careers, while maintaining their marriage, they must support each others goals, aspirations and missions. If they do not support each other, then one may have to give up part of their career or the marriage may end.

The final issue that must be considered in dual-career marriages is children. At this time, Caroline does not have any children and Jonathan has one from a previous marriage. Talking about what will happen if Caroline becomes pregnant is important and they must take time to discuss this issue. They must consider areas such as who will stay home with the child after birth, will the children go to day care, and whose career desires will have to be put on hold when the child is born.

All of these issues must be considered before any couple marries to prevent problems from arising later. Both Caroline and Jonathan have already been through one marriage and they can attribute this to the work styles each hold. Unfortunately, they only dated for a short time before marriage and there was no indication these factors were considered. Before Jonathan makes any decision about his career, it is important they discuss these issues.

There are many options available to Jonathan in respect to his career. To begin, he could choose to accept the job with Plöp Engineering. This job will provide him with a sizeable pay increase but will only be a lateral move in his career. The advantages of this option are the increases in pay and the ability to remain in Ohio. As his parents are in the Bay area, the job with Plöp Engineering will permit him to remain close to them. Another positive side to this option is Caroline's career. As Ohio Randle Corporation has offered Caroline a position, this will provide her with the opportunity to further her career. At the same time, she will have the opportunity to learn, advance her career, and receive an increase in salary.

An additional option available to Jonathan is accepting the job with Ewing Oil in Toronto. In respect to his career, this position will provide him with a new and challenging field, while receiving an increase in pay. Unfortunately, this alternative may or may not further Caroline's career. At this time, a utility firm has offered her a position and the Bank of Ontario has interviewed her for a junior position. After considering the offer from the utilities firm, she has concluded she would not like to work with the company and the position with the Bank of Ontario is not definite. Also, as stated before, Caroline finds the treatment of women in Canada to be behind that of the United States. On a positive note, OD field in Canada is less competitive and therefore provides more options than in Ohio.

Another possible alternative for Jonathan is to decline the offer with Plöp Engineering. Instead, he could remain at his present job while looking for another. This will allow Caroline to accept the position with Randle Corporation and permit Jonathan to remain close to his family. Unfortunately, this option may leave Jonathan feeling unsatisfied with his career, which could lead to problems within the marriage.

Ideally, it is recommended Jonathan either take the job with Plöp Engineering or remain at his current job, continuing his job hunt. This will allow him to remain in Ohio and close to his parents. In addition, this will allow Caroline to further her career. Unfortunately, this is probably not what Jonathan will choose.

As mentioned earlier, both Caroline and Jonathan come from traditional families. It is evident their upbringing is playing a significant role in their lives today. For example, within the home Caroline is responsible for the household chores while Jonathan is responsible for the household finances. Therefore, it can be predicted that Jonathan will decline the offer from Plöp Engineering and accept the offer with Ewing Oil in Toronto. Since Caroline already sacrificed her career when she moved closer to Jonathan, it can be anticipated she will do the same in this situation.

Although Caroline sacrificed her career before, this alternative will probably lead to long term problems. To begin, Caroline does not know if she definitely has a job in Toronto and therefore might not want to relocate in Canada. However, Jonathan can probably convince her of the benefits that exist in Toronto. For example, he can point out the OD market in Canada is less competitive and therefore can provide her with ample opportunities. Once she gets to Canada, she may not find a job that suits her desires. This in turn may leave her feeling unhappy with her career, which could lead to her resenting Jonathan for moving to Toronto. If this does happen, the marriage will probably end. On a positive note, she might be able to find a suitable job in Canada since competition is lower and she is highly qualified. Also, the lifestyle in Canada is slower than the United States lifestyle. This will allow Caroline and Jonathan to get their marriage back on track as the two began their marriage with a weekend marriage. Even though this later changed, the two do not appear to be spending a great deal of time together.

In conclusion, it is recommended Jonathan and Caroline sit down and discuss the problems and issues that arise in dual-career marriages. From this, they should decide together what Jonathan should do. This will allow a win/win situation and thus both should be satisfied with the outcome.

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