I Will Follow Him: Myth, Reality, or Forced Choice—Job-Seeking Experiences of Dual-Career Couples |
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Authors: | Barbara Strudler Wallston Martha A Foster Michael Berger |
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Institution: | George Peabody College;North Metro Children's Center, Atlanta;Michael Berger Georgia State University |
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Abstract: | Recent PhDs in psychology and biological sciences with spouses who were also professionals were surveyed; the focus was on their joint job-seeking. Couples frequently described egalitarian decision rules. But traditional patterns were also evident, particularly among the biological-science sample. Egalitarianism decreased in the actual job decisions made, but here the traditional alternative was frequently cited as a forced choice. Responses to simulations showed egalitarian decisions to be common under low constraint conditions. Constraints such as the need for a job and time pressure produced more nonegalitarian decisions. However, under these hypothetical conditions, the constraints were as likely to produce nontradi-tional as traditional following. It is suggested that the high traditionality of actual job decisions is, at least in part, a result of institutional constraints. |
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