Dual career issues questionaire

DUAL CAREER ISSUES QUESTIONNAIRE

The survey has now been completed. We thank the large number (620) of respondents. A report is being written and will be completed by March. A condensed version will appear as an article in Physics Today in mid to late 1999. The full report will appear on a special "dual-career couple" webpage, along with a lot of additional information, sometime during the year.

As the number of couples in which both members are trained in science increases, more and more people are facing issues in finding two science-based jobs in the same geographic location. In an effort to document the scope of the situation for physicists, and find examples of solutions to the problems which arise, we would like you to answer the following questions. Please give only one set of answers per couple. If you prefer not to answer over the web, you may print the survey and send it to the address given at the end. If you are part of a dual-professional couple in which the other member is not a scientist, please fill out the survey -- many of the same concerns will apply. In each question, "partner" refers to your current spouse or partner, or your most recent spouse or partner if you are not now married and do not have a partner. All answers will be held in confidence.

Is your partner also trained in science?
Yes
No (please go to question #4)
Are both of you trained in physics?
Yes (please go to question #4)
No
What is your partner's scientific field?
Astronomy
Chemistry
Other Physical Science
Engineering
Biological/Biomedical Science
Other (Please Specify)
What is your age?
What is your partner's age?
Are you female or male?
Female
Male
Is your partner female or male?
Female
Male
If you and/or your partner have or plan to have children, has this affected your job choices or those of your partner?
We have no children and do not plan to have any.
Children have not affected my job choices or those of my partner (please go to question #10)
Children have affected MY job choices, but not my partner's job choices
Children have affected my PARTNER'S job choices, but not my job choices
Children have affected both our job choices
In what way did children affect your job choices or those of your partner?
What type of job did you seek in your most recent job search?
(indicate all that apply)
Postdoc
Faculty job at research university
Faculty job at undergraduate institution
Permanent industrial job
Permanent government laboratory job
Other (please specify)
What type of job did you ultimately take?
Postdoc
Faculty job at research university
Faculty job at undergraduate institution
Permanent industrial job
Permanent government laboratory job
Other (please specify)
What type of job did your partner seek in his/her most recent job search?
(indicate all that apply)
Postdoc
Faculty job at research university
Faculty job at undergraduate institution
Permanent industrial job
Permanent government laboratory job
Other (please specify)
What type of job did your partner ultimately take?
Postdoc
Faculty job at research university
Faculty job at undergraduate institution
Permanent industrial job
Permanent government laboratory job
Other (please specify)
Have you or your partner changed your long-term career goals because of issues involved in dual-science-career couples?
Yes, I changed my long-term career goals
Yes, my partner changed her/his long-term career goals
Yes, both of us changed our long-term career goals
No (please go to question #17)
Have you or your partner changed your short-term career goals because of issues involved in dual-science-career couples?
Yes, I changed my short-term career goals
Yes, my partner changed her/his short-term career goals
Yes, both of us changed our short-term career goals
No (please go to question #17)
In your most recent job search, did you or your partner take a lower-level science job, a non-scientific job (or no job) as a result of issues involved in dual-science-career couples?
Yes, I did
Yes, my partner did
Yes, both of us did
No
At what point in your most recent job search(s) did you first discuss with potential employers the fact that you were part of a dual-science-career couple?
Before I interviewed for the job
At the time that I interviewed for the job
After an offer of a job was made
Never (please go to question #21)
What response(s) did your potential employer(s) make to your situation? Please Include all recent job searches.
What aspects of this response did you find to be particularly positive?
What would you have liked the potential employer to have done that was not done?
At what point in your partner's most recent job search(s) did she/he first discuss with potential employers the fact that she/he was part of a dual-science-career couple?
Before my partner interviewed for the job
At the time that my partner interviewed for the job
After an offer of a job was made
Never (please go to question #23)
What response(s) did your partner's potential employer(s) make to your situation? Please include all recent job searches.
Do you know of specific positive or negative response(s) made to other couples in situations of this type? Select all that apply.
Yes, positive response(s) at my institution
Yes, positive response(s) at another institution
Yes, negative response(s) at my institution
Yes, negative response(s) at another institution
No (please go to question #26)
If you selected one or both of the first two responses in question #23 (positive), please give details (no individual names or identifying details will be given in the report).
If you selected one of the second two responses in question #25 (negative), please give details (no individual names or identifying details will be given in the report).
What other comments on the dual-science-career situation would you like to make?

Thank you very much for completing this questionnaire. We hope to disseminate the results in a forum accessible to physicists, such as the APS Web page or Physics Today.

Paper responses may be sent to:

      Laurie McNeil
      Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
      University of North Carolina
      Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255