Dual asked Karen to consider thepossibility of

Dual asked Karen to consider thepossibility of

Dual Citizenship in CanadaKaren and Ross have been married for six years.

During these years,each has had to make decisions concerning their careers to accommodate eachother. Two companies have now confronted Ross with a career opportunity, thosebeing California Energy Systems and Petrolia Oil. He must decide by September28 what opportunity to act upon, taking into account the effects it will have onhis career, Karen’s career, and their marriage.Situational AnalysisBoth individuals come from traditional families and are careerorientated people. Karen believes the women in her life were career women butthis is not entirely true.

Her father held an executive job that forcedcontinuous movement. Where as her mother held a traditional’ position as aschool teacher and she was not permitted to have work “interfere with home lifeand child- rearing responsibilities”. On the other hand, Ross had a mother whodevoted herself to the well-being of her husband and son.

Where as his fatherwas a business man that earned a high income, allowing the family to live in acomfortable home with a luxury lifestyle. Karen and Ross appear to be leading alife that is different from their parents but this is not entirely true. It isnoteworthy to mention, that each has a traditional role within the marriage.For example, Ross is responsible for the financial aspects of the home whileKaren is responsible for the household chores.

At the beginning of the marriage,they attempted to have a “weekend marriage” but this was a great strain andKaren sacrificed her career by finding a job closer to Ross. This demonstratesthey are traditional within the marriage, although Karen has an untraditionalcareer.Career OpportunitiesAs both Karen and Ross hold dual citizenship in Canada and the UnitedStates, they have frequently discussed the possibility of working in Canada.They concluded the Canadian market is less competitive and offers more optionsthan California. However, Karen considers Canadian culture to be slower thanU.

S. culture concerning the treatment toward women.In June 1990, a Canadian utility company asked Karen to consider thepossibility of joining their company.

Upon consideration, Karen became lessenthusiastic about the position and decided to decline the offer. Then in midSeptember, California Randle Corporation offered her a job in the organizationaldevelopment department. This position would provide an increase in salary,double responsibility, and a great opportunity to learn and advance. The Bankof Ontario also interviewed her for a junior position and told Karen anopportunity might open later in the year.Simultaneously, Ross reluctantly extended his own job search to Ontario.

Both the Bank of Ontario and Petrolia Oil offered him positions. The positionat Petrolia Oil offered a major salary increase, a chance to work in a new andchallenging field, and a request to begin work November 1. At the same time, hereceived an offer from Cal Eng. to join the Personnel Department. This positionwould represent a sizeable pay increase but only a lateral move inresponsibility.ConsiderationsIn all dual career marriages, problems or issues must be considered.

One issue that arises between dual career partners transportation. Who is goingto take the car to work and how will the other get to work? This is only aminor concern and can easily be resolved. Another concern is the increase inmoney they will earn.

Karen and Ross must consider who will be responsible formanaging the funds. For example, will each maintain their own income or is itpooled together. Presently, Ross manages the finances for the home but eachmaintains their own accounts, contributing equally to the home. They must thendecide where the money will be spent and invested.

Again this is only a minorconcern and can easily be addressed. However, there are more serious issues andproblems that must be considered in dual-career marriages.To begin, Karen and Ross must arrange how they will divide the householdresponsibilities. As both partners are busy with work, they must divide theresponsibilities evenly. For example, the couple must decide who will beresponsible for the laundry, grocery shopping, cleanliness of the house, andmeals.

The division of responsibilities should not leave one feeling as if theyare holding down two jobs.Today, jobs are demanding and stressful. This leaves a twofold affecton dual-career marriages. First, employers expect employees to work sixty toseventy hours a week, leaving little time for oneself. If two people areworking this many hours, it makes it difficult to spend quality time with eachother. Luckily , Karen and Ross realize the need for time together and take thetime to plan quality time with each other. The other side of jobs today is theincrease in stress among individuals.

Since both partners are experiencing thisstress, it is necessary for them to learn to cope with the stress and prevent itfrom entering the marriage.With both people working in the marriage, they can assume that each willhave different goals, aspirations, and missions. Recognizing and accepting thedifferences between each other’s is important. If both parties want to besuccessful with their careers, while maintaining their marriage, they mustsupport each others goals, aspirations and missions. If they do not supporteach other, then one may have to give up part of their career or the marriagemay end.

The final issue that must be considered in dual-career marriages ischildren. At this time, Karen does not have any children and Ross has one froma previous marriage. Talking about what will happen if Karen becomes pregnantis important and they must take time to discuss this issue. They must considerareas such as who will stay home with the child after birth, will the childrengo to day care, and whose career desires will have to be put on hold when thechild is born.All of these issues must be considered before any couple marries toprevent problems from arising later. Both Karen and Ross have already beenthrough one marriage and they can attribute this to the work styles each hold.Unfortunately, they only dated for a short time before marriage and there was noindication these factors were considered.

Before Ross makes any decision abouthis career, it is important they discuss these issues.AlternativesThere are many options available to Ross in respect to his career. Tobegin, he could choose to accept the job with Cal Eng. This job will providehim with a sizeable pay increase but will only be a lateral move in his career.

The advantages of this option are the increases in pay and the ability to remainin California. As his parents are in the Bay area, the job with Cal Eng. willpermit him to remain close to them. Another positive side to this option isKaren’s career.

As California Randle Corporation has offered Karen a position,this will provide her with the opportunity to further her career. At the sametime, she will have the opportunity to learn, advance her career, and receive anincrease in salary.An additional option available to Ross is accepting the job withPetrolia Oil in Toronto. In respect to his career, this position will providehim with a new and challenging field, while receiving an increase in pay.Unfortunately, this alternative may or may not further Karen’s career. At thistime, a utility firm has offered her a position and the Bank of Ontario hasinterviewed her for a junior position.

After considering the offer from theutilities firm, she has concluded she would not like to work with the companyand the position with the Bank of Ontario is not definite. Also, as statedbefore, Karen finds the treatment of women in Canada to be behind that of theUnited States. On a positive note, OD field in Canada is less competitive andtherefore provides more options than in California.Another possible alternative for Ross is to decline the offer with CalEng. Instead, he could remain at his present job while looking for another.This will allow Karen to accept the position with Randle Corporation and permitRoss to remain close to his family. Unfortunately, this option may leave Rossfeeling unsatisfied with his career, which could lead to problems within themarriage.

RecommendationIdeally, it is recommended Ross either take the job with Cal Eng. orremain at his current job, continuing his job hunt. This will allow him toremain in California and close to his parents. In addition, this will allowKaren to further her career. Unfortunately, this is probably not what Ross willchoose.As mentioned earlier, both Karen and Ross come from traditional families.It is evident their upbringing is playing a significant role in their livestoday.

For example, within the home Karen is responsible for the householdchores while Ross is responsible for the household finances. Therefore, it canbe predicted that Ross will decline the offer from Cal Eng. and accept the offerwith Petrolia Oil in Toronto. Since Karen already sacrificed her career whenshe moved closer to Ross, it can be anticipated she will do the same in thissituation.

Although Karen sacrificed her career before, this alternative willprobably lead to long term problems. To begin, Karen does not know if shedefinitely has a job in Toronto and therefore might not want to relocate inCanada. However, Ross can probably convince her of the benefits that exist inToronto.

For example, he can point out the OD market in Canada is lesscompetitive and therefore can provide her with ample opportunities. Once shegets to Canada, she may not find a job that suits her desires. This in turn mayleave her feeling unhappy with her career, which could lead to her resentingRoss for moving to Toronto. If this does happen, the marriage will probably end.

On a positive note, she might be able to find a suitable job in Canada sincecompetition is lower and she is highly qualified. Also, the lifestyle in Canadais slower than the United States lifestyle. This will allow Karen and Ross toget their marriage back on track as the two began their marriage with a weekendmarriage. Even though this later changed, the two do not appear to be spendinga great deal of time together.In conclusion, it is recommended Ross and Karen sit down and discuss theproblems and issues that arise in dual-career marriages. From this, they shoulddecide together what Ross should do. This will allow a win/win situation andthus both should be satisfied with the outcome.