Husbands' Occupational Attributes as Constraints on Wives' Employment

This Paper Draws Attention to the Implications of the Husband's Occupational Role for the Wife's Employment by Reviewing a Widely Dispersed Literature. It is Argued that Central Attributes of the Husband's Work Role Limit the Sharing Offamily Work and Put Pressure on the Wife to Participate in the "Two-Person Career" Thereby Limiting Her Own Occupational Participation and Attainment. the Socioeconomic Rewards, Career Patterns, Temporal Requirements, Geographical Mobility Pressures, and Sex-Typing of the Husband's Occupation Are Considered. Research is Called for to Investigate Systematically: (1) the Impacts of Husbands' Occupational Attributes on Wives' Employment Decision-Making; (2) the Effects of the "Two-Personcareer" Pattern on Men's, Women's, and Families' Socioeconomic Attainment; and (3) the New Patterns of Work and Family Integration that May Be Currently Emerging. © 1978, Sage Publications. All Rights Reserved.