CUR 2002 Workshop Summaries

Home > Meetings > CUR 2002 Workshop Summaries > General Workshops

CUR 2002 Workshop Report

The Two Body Problem: Can Couples Work and Play Together Successfully? Session I

Linda Reinen, Lori Bettison-Varga; joined as well (by invitation of LR and LBV) by Ellen Keiter

This workshop was designed to facilitate discussion about the pros/cons of couples working together in academia. All three presenters work in the same department as their spouse. In addition to the presenters and recorder, there were 6 attendees with multiple disciplines and circumstances represented (ranging from those who have been dealing with two-body circumstances for quite some time to those seeking ways to initiate a two-body working situation with a spouse).

The bulk of the workshop revolved around a person by person explanation of their personal circumstances, a process which initiated with the workshop leaders. As each person spoke, questions were asked to clarify points, and there was frank and open discussion as well as many different lines of questioning from all participants. While it was not the intent of the workshop leaders that this person by person presentation would take as long as it did, the process was quite illuminating, illustrating the range of different ways that folk have gotten involved in two body working arrangements and a variety of different perspectives on problems and advantages.

From the discussion, five different common themes emerged. These were:

how to deal with the perception that a couple is a single unit, not a pair of professionals with disparate opinions and thoughts (i.e., the perception among colleagues that a couple represents an unfair bias/bond when dealing with departmental issues);
how to ensure that the college doesn't take advantage of the situation, i.e. by having unfair expectations of couples sharing a single position, etc,;
what happens when one person is happy with the working relationship and one isn't;
how to balance children/family with the working situation; and,
how to not nag at work and at home, i.e., how to ensure that personal issues don't carry over into and adversely affect the working environment, and vice versa?

At the end of the workshop, while none of these questions had been resolved (ran out of time once the common themes had been articulated), several different strategies had been suggested. It was the opinion of all participants that a workshop next CUR meeting devoted to addressing these specific aspects of the two body problem would be a productive next step.