Dr Braccio- SUCCESSFUL DUAL-CAREER COUPLES 10-19-21
We live in a society where more and more couples are both working and have specific work, couple, family, and work expectations that must be synced together in order for the marriage to be successful. The large number of divorces show that many couples are not able to navigate the difficult terrain to be successful. The following are suggestions that can help the dual-career couple succeed: 1. Determine prior to marriage how they plan to coordinate life activities pertaining to the marriage, child-rearing, financial goals, personal goals, and the breakdown of specific responsibilities each will have in the relationship. This will change over the course of the marriage based on what is occurring in their lives. 2. Supporting and enhancing each other as they together meet chosen goals that are mutually agreed upon. 3. Willingness to forgo personal goals when the needs of the overall relationship require this to be done. 4. Ongoing and sometimes changing roles by one of the persons to be the primary caretaker of the children and/or other responsibilities due to particular educational or career opportunities or responsibilities of the other. 5. Recognition that in spite of the financial and career success that can come from dual-career couples, disappointment and frustration can also occur when one or both are stymied from individual goals when the overall responsibilities of the relationship need to be primary. 6. The ability to make changes as needed that may require job changing or job adaptation. 7. Recognition a desired job advancement or different job would cause more harm than good for the couple and is not entered into. 8. Enduring love in any relationship requires openness, compromise, organization, agreed-upon role expectations, willingness and ability to change, mutual respect, and strong support of each other.