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Two-Career Relationships
Two-career relationships, also referred to as dual-career families, represent a unique variation of the larger category of two-wage relationships or dual-earner families. This entry begins with a definition of two-career relationships and how this family form differs from the larger category of dual-earner families. Described next are factors related to its emergence and increased prevalence as a family form, characteristics of two-career relationships, challenges faced by partners in these kinds of relationships, and factors associated with successful career development and family life for individuals and partners. Because changing views about gender are central to the emergence of this family form, and to its ongoing evolution, special attention is given to this factor. Finally, it should be noted that the focus is on two-career heterosexual relationships; relatively little information is included on important distinctions associated with race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
Definition of Two-Career Relationships
The term two-career relationships has primarily been used to describe a unique and enduring form of heterosexual marriage. In 1969, Rhona and Robert Rapoport first used the term “dual-career family” to describe what they considered to be an unusual and “revolutionary” type of dual-wage heterosexual family that emerged as the result of complex social changes. Revolutionary from their perspective was the dual-career family's apparent inconsistency with respect to traditional notions of gender in marriage. In contrast to traditional marriage, in a dual-career marriage both partners pursued a lifelong career, relatively uninterrupted, and also established and developed a family life together that often included children.
The emergence of the heterosexual two-career family represented dramatic changes in conceptions of love, enduring relationships, and social structures in our society. Foremost among these were changes associated with assumptions of male superiority and male authority over women, and assumptions of female destiny being tethered to fertility and caregiving roles. Social changes had brought about an evolution in normative roles for adult women who married and broadened these roles to include occupational pursuits. Traditionally, heterosexual women, even those who had prepared for lifelong careers, were expected to put careers secondary to marriage and caring for husbands and children. Husbands' careers were viewed as primary and were to be interrupted minimally by family demands; women's were not. Today, some 50 years later, the situation is quite different. Many women and men prepare themselves for careers with the expectation that their partner will support their career pursuits and that they and their partner will integrate occupational work with family life. This in turn has brought about changes in men's roles and in societal views about what is needed to support the normative life roles of women and men.
Two-Career, Same-Sex Relationships
Two-career homosexual families also challenge assumptions about love and enduring relationships, but these are largely associated with attitudes and values about individuals of the same sex entering into a committed relationship. As is described later, occupational and family roles converge in many of the same ways for same-sex and heterosexual couples, and both experience similar stresses and challenges associated with their combining occupational work and family life, but there are also important differences. Some of these differences are described later in this entry.
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