When Doctors Marry Doctors: A Survey Exploring the Professional and Family Lives of Young Physicians

16 February 1999 | Volume 130 Issue 4 Part 1 | Pages 312-319

Background: Soon, half of all physicians may be married to other physicians (that is, in dual-doctor families). Little is known about how marriage to another physician affects physicians themselves.

Objective: To learn how physicians in dual-doctor families differ from other physicians in their professional and family lives and in their perceptions of career and family.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Two medical schools in Ohio.

Participants: A random sample of physicians from the classes of 1980 to 1990.

Measurements: Responses to a questionnaire on hours worked, income, number of children, child-rearing arrangements, and perceptions about work and family.

Results: Of 2000 eligible physicians, 1208 responded (752 men and 456 women). Twenty-two percent of male physicians and 44% of female physicians were married to physicians (P < 0.001). Men and women in dual-doctor families differed (P < 0.001) from other married physicians in key aspects of their professional and family lives: They earned less money, less often felt that their career took precedence over their spouse's career, and more often played a major role in child-rearing. These differences were greater for female physicians than for male physicians. Men and women in dual-doctor families were similar to other physicians in the frequency with which they achieved career goals and goals for their children and with which they felt conflict between professional and family roles. Marriage to another physician had distinct benefits (P < 0.001) for both men and women, including more frequent enjoyment from shared work interests and higher family incomes.

Conclusions: Men and women in dual-doctor families differed from other physicians in many aspects of their professional and family lives, but they achieved their career and family goals as frequently. These differences reflect personal choices that will increasingly affect the profession as more physicians marry physicians.

Author and Article Information

From Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.

Note: This work was presented in part to the Department of Medicine's 1996 Residents' Research Conference, where it received the Residents' Research Prize.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank Laura P. Sands, PhD, for analytic expertise and several anonymous reviewers for their insights.

Grant Support: Dr. Chren is the recipient of a Career Mentored Scientist Award (#K08AR01962) from the National Institute on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease. Dr. Landefeld was a Senior Research Associate, Health Services Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, when this work was performed.

Requests for Reprints: C. Seth Landefeld, MD, Division of Geriatrics (111G), Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 4150 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121.

Current Author Addresses: Dr. Sobecks: 157 Barry Point, Riverside, IL 60546.

Dr. Justice: Section of General Internal Medicine, 11-E, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240.

Dr. Hinze and Ms. Taylor Chirayath: Department of Sociology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-7124.

Dr. Lasek: 20962 West Byron Road, Shaker Heights, OH 44122.

Dr. Chren: Department of Dermatology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center 111-G, 4150 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121.

Dr. Aucott: Park Medical Group, Johns Hopkins at Greenspring Station, 10755 Falls Road, Suite 200, Lutherville, MD 21093.

Ms. Juknialis and Dr. Youngner: Program in Health Care Research, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4961.

Dr. Fortinsky: University of Connecticut, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030-5215.

Dr. Landefeld: Division of Geriatrics (111G), Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 4150 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121.