Decision Making in Single- and Dual-Career Families in India

In a study of 47single-career and 54 dual-careerfamilies, the relative authority of husbands and wives in various areas of decision making was explored. The important findings are that (a) husbands in single-career families had greater power than the husbands in dualcareer families; (b) wives in dual-career families had greater power than the wives in singlecareer families; (c) the relative power of spouses was not significantly different in the two types of families; and (d) dual-career families were more egalitarian than single-career families. These results are explained in the light of theoretical formulations relating to resources and norms.