Husbands, Wives, and Careers

Abstract

This research examines the extent to which spouse's level of education hinders or helps the careers of Ph.D. recipients. Using multiple regression to analyze data obtained from 1,053 persons who received their Ph.D.s from 1958-1963 and 1967-1971, we found that having a Ph.D. spouse negatively affected wives' labor-force participation and husbands' offices held and articles published; there was no direct effect on earnings for either sex. For both husbands and wives, marriage to a highly educated spouse has at least some negative career effects.