Juggling Jobs Dual-Career Couples See Advantages, Drawbacks

For most working couples, juggling two jobs isn’t a drag on either career, it’s a safety net for higher-flying, a landmark study reported Tuesday.

The nation’s 28 million dual-earning couples - who make up 45 percent of the work force - overwhelmingly feel that with two incomes, they can take more risks, including quitting a job if they’re not satisfied, reported Catalyst, a New York City-based research group.

Most also feel that their careers are equal in importance, and a high proportion of both men and women want the flexibility to support each other’s careers, Catalyst reported after surveying 800 dual-earners and interviewing 25 couples in-depth.

The study helps dispel the lingering myths that men are the breadwinners in most families, and that juggling home and work is a woman’s problem.

“Make no mistake. This isn’t about what women want. This is about what 45 percent of the work force wants,” Catalyst President Sheila Wellington told a breakfast meeting held to announce the results. “The nation must heed that voice.”

Still, the day-to-day balancing act carried out by couples isn’t easy, a panel of dual-earners told the audience of business representatives.

One couple, who are both managers with Kraft Foods, told of going to work early on alternate days so they can spend more time with their 10-month-old twins. “We’re constantly redefining our roles,” said Barry Knobloch, a senior project engineer.

Terry McGuire, a compensation director at the Price Waterhouse accounting firm, changed to a job that required less travel and overtime so he could spend more time with his two children.

“I wouldn’t say I’m in a holding pattern, but I’m not doing the kind of crazy (hours) I used to do,” said McGuire, whose wife is a dentist.

McGuire feels confident that he won’t be punished for his choices because he said his company increasingly allows flexibility. “We were in the past very much a face-time organization,” he said, referring to the traditional need for workers to be seen at the office even if they had nothing to do. “That’s not an issue anymore.”

Still, McGuire emphasized that having a working spouse has given him the confidence to take risks. “If things don’t go well, you have a safety net,” he said.

Other working couples feel similarly. Two-thirds of men and women said that as a result of having a second income, they’re more likely to leave their jobs if they’re not happy, according to the survey.

And overwhelmingly, what they want is flexibility - both formal part-time and job-sharing programs, and the freedom to “come in early, leave late, go to the school play or a soccer game” without fearing their careers will suffer, said Wellington.

Men were almost as eager for flexibility at work as women. Almost one in four men have worked flexible hours, and nearly half would look for formal flexible schedules in a new employer, Catalyst found.