title: Male Spouses of Women Physicians: Communication, Compromise, and Carving Out Time.
abstract: As the numbers of female physicians continue to grow, fewer medical marriages are comprised of the traditional dyad of male physician and stay-at-home wife. The "two-career family" is an increasingly frequent state for both male and female physicians' families, and dual-doctor marriages are on the rise. This qualitative study explored the contemporary medical marriage from the perspective of male spouses of female physicians. In 2010, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with nine spouses of internal medicine resident and faculty physicians. Interviewers queried work-home balance, career choices, and support networks. We used an interpretive, inductive, iterative approach to thematically analyze interview transcripts and develop broad, consensus-derived themes. A conceptual framework based on three major themes emerged: "A time for us? Really?", "Supporting and protecting her, sometimes at my expense,'" and "Hers is a career, mine is a job." This framework described the inflexibility of physicians' time and its impact on spousal time, career development, and choices. Having a set time for synchronizing schedules, frequent verbal support, and shared decision-making were seen as important by the husbands of female, full-time physicians. This exploratory study examined the contemporary medical marriage from the male spouse's perspective and highlights specific strategies for success.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Isaac
authors.forename: Kara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Petrashek
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: Linda Baier
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Manwell
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Byars-Winston
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carnes
keywords: Academic Medicine; Career; Gender; Medical Marriage; Qualitative Research; Work-Life Balance