Academic Dual Career as a Lifeworld Orientation: A Phenomenological Inquiry

We employ a feminist phenomenological methodology to explore the lived meaningfulness of the academic dual career. We contend that university approaches to resolving the "problem" of dual career fail to address partners' long-term commitments and shared challenges. Following an analysis of focus group interviews with dual career academic couples, we find that dual career is not merely a description but a life orientation in itself through which partners engage with personal, relational, and career possibilities and trajectories. We elaborate the thematic issues and ethical responsibilities that universities must come to terms with in order to more adequately facilitate dual careers.