Presented with Dr. Julie Payne-Kirchmeier at the NASPA IV-E Women in Student Affairs (WISA) Conference in 2013.

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Two-body problem: Dual career
partners in student affairs
Carolyn Golz, Lake Forest College
Dr. Julie Payne-Kirchmeier, Northwestern
University

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Why is it important to understand
challenges facing dual-career partners?
 Limited research on dual-career partners in student affairs.
 More research related to academic-career partners, but
research still lacking
 36% of professorate = dual-career academic partners
(Schiebinger, Henderson, & Gilmartin, 2008)
 Dual-career hiring has major implications for job searchers
 Women are more likely than men to have an academic partner.
 Career options for partners is important for faculty
 Women actively refuse jobs if they do not see quality job
opportunities for their partners

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Challenges facing dual career partners
 Job searching
 Whose job search takes priority?
 Balancing a dual career job search
 Strain of long-distance
 Feelings of competition in the field
 Irregular or on-call hours
 Children
(Greer & Poe, 2005)

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Challenges facing dual-career partners
 Gay/lesbian partners face additional challenges
 Workplace homophobia
 Whether (and how) to acknowledge the relationship
 How to characterize the relationship
 How introduce one’s partner
 How to deal with social events
(O’Ryan & McFarland, 2010)

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Dual-Career Partners
 Torry Brouillard-Bruce and Melany Crews (Univ. of the Pacific,
Univ. of California, Merced)
 Peter Pereira and Nina Pereira (Texas State)
 Tamara Yakabowski and Matt Birnbaum (Northern Colorado)
 Carolyn Golz and Cliff Golz (Lake Forest, Loyola)
 Julie Payne-Kirchmeier and Tony Kirchmeier (Northwestern)
 Patty Martinez and Dino Martinez (NIU)
 Brent Paterson and Janet Paterson (Illinois State)

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Advice from Colleagues
 Decide together to go into a job search – and ask the tough questions before
you start
 Identify geographical locations that afford opportunities for “lagging” or “trailing”
partner
 Discuss distance as an option
 Be realistic about job opportunities in any area
 Be honest about your “must haves” and your “absolutely nots”
 There will be sacrificing - prepare yourself for impact on your relationship
 Know policies and benefits
 Open your mouth and ask – Negotiate!

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Implications for hiring managers
 Helping candidates network with area schools can be
extremely helpful.
 Consider a policy that supports hiring of partners within
institution. (check out Virginia Tech’s Dual Career Program as
on example)
 Family friendly – what does that mean? What does it look like
in practice?

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Implications for partnered professionals
conducting a search
 Flexibility is key
 Look for opportunities to expand your skills/ experience
 Ask the tough questions of each other, and of institutions
 Things to consider: commute, job opportunities in the area,
long-distance options, …

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Discussion

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References
Greer, R. M., & Poe, R. E. (2005). Developmental aspects of dual-
career relationships: Reflections and issues. The College Student
Affairs Journal, 24(2), 162-168.
Kelly, B. T., Eberly, J. E., & Chomanics, L. (2012). Job searching in
student affairs: Understanding the impact on dual career couples’
relationships. Manuscript submitted for publication.
O’Ryan, L. W., & McFarland, W. P. (2010). A Phenomenological
exploration of the experiences of dual-career lesbian and gay
couples. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88, 71-79.
Schiebinger, L., Henderson, A. D., & Gilmartin, S. K. (2008) Dual
career academic couples: What universities need to know. Michelle
R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research Report. Stanford
University: Stanford, CA.