Marital quality in later years of marriage with dual-career spouses

This research project studied highly successful, long-term marriages where both spouses also actively pursued professional careers. Ethnographic methodologies were used to interview couples meeting specific criteria to uncover specific domains/characteristics indicative of this culture. The objective of this project was not to describe how to have a successful marriage as well as a successful career, but instead to find characteristics of this population in a manner that is subject informed. Nine specific domains were identified in the interview/analysis process. They are: Commitment, Faith, Time Alone, Children, Goals/Priorities, Trust/Mutual Respect, Different Personalities, Novelty, and Job Descriptions. Each of these domains is considered to be included terms for the higher domain of marital quality in later years of marriage for dual-career couples. On the next lower level, each of these nine domains are broken down into specific included terms and described in further detail. Implications for the usefulness of this methodology and results are also discussed