Couples That Work

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The Three Transitions of a Dual-Career Couple

As Cheryl lay in her hospital bed beside her newborn baby, she couldn’t have been happier. She had saved enough to take a three-month unpaid maternity leave from her job in a financial services firm and was relishing the thought of spending long days learning to be a mom to little Annabel. It meant a lot to her. Throughout her childhood, Cheryl had often had to worry about money, and as a young adult, she had worked hard to make sure that her own children would not have to. Her dream was coming true, and she was proud of it. She was a bit nervous, too, about the bigger apartment that she and Mark had bought—they had stretched their budget to make it possible—but she was grateful that Mark’s salary ...