Mental Health and Psychological Functioning of Dual-Career Families

This article provides a general introduction to the dual-career family and considers factors important to the understanding of the rewards and stresses that characterize personal, marital, and family life. Key issues in the psychosocial development of women and men that are important to understanding dual-career marriages are identified. Life as a dual-career family is then described, and sources of stress and factors that promote effective coping are both considered. Crucial to these considerations are two "meta issues "—concepts of equity and the nature of society. Finally, recommendations are made about what the counseling psychologist can do in the areas of preventive and psychotherapeutic intervention and ongoing research.