Bridging the Generation Gap

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Talent & Technology A recent SPE Talent Council survey of SPE members under the age of 45 unveiled an important generation gap. Most SPE members under the age of 45 are part of a dual career couple and most of them believe that the careers of both partners are equally important. However, managers who rose through the ranks as part of a couple with a single dominant breadwinner consider the concept of equally important careers to be unrealistic. We believe that management needs a better understanding of how the evolution of domestic relationships has changed the constraints and motivations of the workforce. More women worldwide are working for compensation that has reached greater parity with compensation for men in the past few decades. Many women now contribute as much or more income to the household than their partner does. Of the SPE members in the survey, 76% consider themselves to be part of a dual career couple, with 53% of the women, and 35% of the men in a relationship in which each partner contributes between 40% and 60% of the household income. Employers use a human resources career development model that is based on the outdated assumption that there is a single breadwinner. As part of their career management process, they ask employees who are known to be part of a dual career couple, “Whose career is more important?” In a separate December 2011 Talent Council survey on corporate policies for the management of dual career couples, we received the following responses from managers as to why they asked this question: “This is an appropriate question so that we know the couple’s desire.” “Always, one career has to lead and the other follows.” “It is a must for one of them to accept being the second one or relegated employee.” The responses indicate that many managers do not believe that both careers of a dual career couple are equal-ly important.