Wives’ career progression among dual-career ethno-cultural couples: Husbands’ perspectives

Abstract

This study explored the perspectives of husbands regarding the participation of their wives in professional occupations. The participants included nine South African Indian men in dual-career marriages (ages ranging from 25 to 54 years old). The completed semi-structured, life-story interviews focused on the socio-historic and contemporary influences on marital and familial dynamics with working spouses. Thematic analysis of the data revealed the husbands to be supportive of their spouses across familial and occupational roles. The findings contradict the stereotype that South African Indian husbands are unsupportive of their working spouses.