ABSTRACT
The dual-earner couple is here to stay. Indeed, it is the modal American family. All indications are that it will be the dominant family form for the foreseeable future (Coontz, 1997). This demographic fact has been a reality in the United States for the past 30 years, but it is still not widely acknowledged as such, at least by policymakers and, perhaps, by most Americans (Skolnick, 1993). Much has been written about this family form. Sadly, most of what we know, or think that we know, is based on media reports, many of which are nothing more than sensationalized anecdotes: The frenzied, high-powered, New York lawyer who suddenly realizes that she cannot manage her 80-hour-a-week job and rear her 2-year-old daughter. The head of a huge multinational corporation who quits because she wants to spend more time at home. These figures are now staples of the media coverage of dual-earner families. As a result of this kind of reportage, many people have a one-sided and often negative view of the dual-earner family form and its effects on the women, men, and children in them.
