Women's Career Cycles - The Twenties Are a Phase of Ambition

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The twenties is really a decade now of ambition. Those ambitious young women tend to delay a lot of personal choices. The forties, which is a phase i call re acceleration, are not necessarily in work places that are open to people at that age. And it's a shame, because this reacceleration of highly educated, really smart women who've only been plateuing for a little while pays off.

Simmering resentments over whose career comes first. Bickering over household tasks. Arguments over who should pick up the kids this time. This is the portrait of two-career coupledom in much of the popular media. But for a lot of couples, the reality is much rosier. Mutually supportive relationships let us take career risks, help us be more resilient to setbacks, and even “lean in” at work. In this episode, we talk with three experts to help us paint a picture of what a truly supportive dual-career relationship looks like, and understand how to get our own relationships closer to that ideal. Guests: Jennifer Petriglieri, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, and Stephanie Coontz. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network. For links to the articles mentioned in this episode, as well as other information about the show, visit hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work.