A Study of the impact of dual career on marital relationships and stability with special reference to Nairobi
Date
2025
Authors
Ogallo, F. J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
The growth of dual-career marriages is one of the most pervasive changes in family and labour force structure around the world. It is generally anticipated that dual-career couples with high double incomes will have a relatively comfortable and happy marriage, as they can easily afford the family's current basic needs and make provisions for their future requirements. While doing so, it is anticipated that these couples would attain a significantly higher level of marital satisfaction. Even though these marital arrangements have financial benefits for the spouses and can provide opportunities for personal self-fulfillment, they also create intricate problems that affect marital quality and stability. Empirical data shows that dual-career couples face new and different challenges that affect what would otherwise have been marital bliss. This study examined the impact of dual careers on the quality and stability of marital relationships of professional couples regarding the three aspects of role overload and stress-coping mechanisms, gender role perceptions, and family financial management. The study is grounded in an African urban setup and sought to understand to what extent the African outlook on marriage influenced these three aspects of marital life. The researcher used a qualitative design approach for the interviewees to share their expectations, experiences, and challenges. The interviewees, who were professional individuals from diverse sectors, were carefully selected to meet age, religion, career, and income diversity. The qualitative data underwent thematic analysis to capture and interpret lived experiences. The findings suggest that role overload coming from competing professional and domestic responsibilities significantly increased marital dissatisfaction and led to emotional exhaustion. Gender-role perceptions also proved a strong influence on the marital relationship, where more egalitarian couples reported much greater levels of marital happiness. Disagreements over financial management, especially on long-term investments, due to differing priorities and asymmetry of financial information, were widespread. Intentional effort to create time for each other away from children paid dividends in remaining connected emotionally. Spending time with either set of parents enhanced the marital bond of the couple. Attending parenting and marriage classes together enhanced communication skills between couples and led to marital harmony. The role of the man as a breadwinner cannot be replaced without serious consequences to the stability of the marriage because men are defined by what they do. In contrast to African traditional marriage, which places a high value on having many children, dual career couples prefer to have few. Many of them claim they would not be impacted by childless marriages and would reject any worldview that sets procreation as the primary marital goal. In general, the study indicates that while dual-career marriages can enhance relationships through shared goals and financial security, they also require active negotiation, equitable role sharing, and good communication to sustain marital quality and minimise instability. The study's theoretical framework was Von Hildebrand's Nature of Love, which does not differentiate the genders as is typical of the philosophy of man. The philosophy of love, such as Von Hildebrand’s, provides an ethical or normative picture of what couples should strive for, but is not adequate in analyzing the political, structural, and pragmatic realities that characterize dual-career marriages in the modern world. The study recommends a theoretical framework that combines philosophical ideas with social, feminist, and economic perspectives for a more effective analysis of dual career marriages. The study provides useful insights for marriage counsellors, policymakers, family therapists, Human Resource Officers, Church ministers, pastors and dual-career couples dealing with the stresses of modern professional life. The research adds to a nascent body of knowledge on work-family dynamics.
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Full - text thesis
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Citation
Ogallo, F. J. (2025). A Study of the impact of dual career on marital relationships and stability with special reference to Nairobi [Strathmore University]. http://hdl.handle.net/11071/15982