Ideological Commitment and Negotiation of Roles

one-third of the nation’s population today. Though these &dquo;Baby Boomers&dquo; were socialized primarily in traditional households, a dis-tinctive number of events and experiences have shaped this group and influenced their definitions of family life. They were the first generation to experience the contraceptive revolution, to establish new norms of fertility patterns, to expect paid work as a central fea-ture in women’s lives, to have women attend college and graduate school in record numbers, and to experience the societal impact and consciousness raising associated with the Women’s Liberation Move-ment (Wattenberg, 1986). One highly significant result of these events and experiences has been the emergence of the dual career family in the United States (Gilbert & Rachlin, 1987). This new family structure wherein both the husband and wife espouse long-term commitment to their careers while maintaining a family that includes children has developed dur-ing the last two decades as a viable and dynamic alternative to tradi-tional (Rapoport & Rapoport, 1971) and dual earner families (Seka-ran, 1986). However, this development has not been without problems; the dual career family has produced conflict and stress among its members over the roles, tasks and responsibilities that such a framework requires (Bebbington, 1973; O’Neil, Fishman, &amp