Dual-doctor marriages: the British experience.

While dual-doctor marriages are increasingly common, the attributes of these marriages, as seen by both partners, are little studied. We interviewed both partners in 21 married-doctor couples in Britain using a structured interview format. Results indicated that the doctors were minimally competitive with their spouses, generally sympathetic with their partners' needs for personal time, supportive of their spouses' careers, reasonably satisfied with their sex lives, had some difficulty relaxing, and communicated relatively well with their spouses. The division of household chores reflected traditional sex-role stereotyping. Overall, the most highly rated sources of conflict in the marriages were the amount of time the husband was away from home at work, in-laws, and bringing work home. Respondents generally rated their marriages high and believed the major advantage of a dual-doctor marriage was understanding on the part of both partners of all aspects of being a doctor. That one partner's career must take precedence and lack of time for other pursuits were seen as the major disadvantages.