Geographic Constraints on Married Women's Careers

Abstract

Data from 275 questionnaires and 38 interviews with “faculty wives,” plus 50 questionnaires from “faculty husbands” are analyzed to study how moves for a husband's job or lack of geographic mobility for a wife's own employment may affect women's careers. Women with advanced degrees and greater career commitment are found to experience greater geographic constraint. It is suggested that, as women become more professionalized in training and aspirations, geographic mobility may become a more salient problem in dual-career marriages if one or both spouses are in fields where the market is tight or where geographic moves are necessary for advancement.

The glass ceiling and the maternal wall in academia

“…A more subtle interaction between the glass ceiling and the maternal wall occurs in careers, particularly in academia, where, it is said, "if you want to move up, you have to move." In that context, nonmothers (including men) will tend to move up if they reach a certain level of accomplishment, whereas mothers are more likely than others to be unable to relocate, according to a long line of studies (Bielby and Bielby, 1992;Deitch and Sanderson, 1987;Shauman and Xie, 1996).…”

Moving with the military: Race, class, and gender differences in the employment consequences of tied migration

“…In their study of faculty wives, Deitch and Sanderson (1987) also find that women receive penalties for the geographic constraints imposed on their careers. In a survey of faculty spouses, these researchers find that 79% of career women had moved at least once for their husband's career.…”

“…Academia is one realm in particular in which both geographic mobility and geographic constraint can operate on the careers of the spouses of the academics, especially the wives of male academics (many of whom are academics themselves) (Kauffman and Perry 1989;Deitch and Sanderson 1987). Kauffman and Perry (1989), in a qualitative study of the geographic constraints placed on academic women, highlight some of the particular problems.…”

A Systematic Reflection Upon Dual Career Couples

“…27 Even among academically trained couples, a common strategy is to follow the (male) partner with the better career prospects and opportunities resulting in a 'leading' career (Klein 1996, Hardill et al 1997, Becker & Moen 1999, Pixley & Moen 2003; whereas the 'following' partner pursues an own occupation only within the context of the leading career's commitments and requirements. For example, women often interrupt their employment in order to follow their partner to a new location or to accommodate family needs, accept jobs with a lower income, or reject job offers which would require relocation or a full-time employment (Deitch & Sanderson 1987, Jürges 1998b, Becker & Moen 1999, Boyle et al 2001, Ackers 2004. Such a hierarchical coordination strategy has self-reinforcing effects on reproducing gender differ-ences in professional careers.…”

“…Generally, individuals committed to a family (a partner, and especially children) are less mobile geographically than singles (Kalter 1998, Stroh 1999, Green & Canny 2003. However, especially for the higher educated, geographical mobility is an important element of career development (Deitch & Sanderson 1987, Stroh 1999, Ackers 2004, Challiol & Mignonac 2005. University graduates show higher mobility rates than lower qualified, and their moves are more often motivated by professional reasons (for Germany cf.…”