The two-body problem is a

dilemma A dilemma ( grc-gre, δίλημμα "double proposition") is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but disti ...

for life partners (e.g., spouses or any other couple) often referred to in

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, relating to the difficulty of both spouses obtaining jobs at the same university or within a reasonable commuting distance from each other. The inability of one partner to accommodate the other produces this central dilemma, which is a

no-win situation A no-win situation, also called a lose-lose situation, is one where a person has choices, but no choice leads to a net gain. For example, if an executioner offers the condemned the choice of death by being hanged, shot, or poisoned, all choices lea ...

in which if the couple wishes to stay together one of them may be forced to abandon an academic career, or if both wish to pursue academic careers the relationship may falter due to the spouses being constantly separated.Benton, Thomas H. (pen name of

William Pannapacker William Pannapacker is a professor emeritus of English and a higher education journalist, consultant, administrator, and fundraiser. He is the author of ''Revised Lives: Walt Whitman and Nineteenth-Century Authorship'', and numerous articles on li ...

) (2009).
Just Don't Go, Part 2
. ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', 13 March 2009, accessed 21 June 2012. The term ''two-body problem'' has been used in the context of working couples since at least the mid-1990s. It alludes to the

two-body problem In classical mechanics, the two-body problem is to predict the motion of two massive objects which are abstractly viewed as point particles. The problem assumes that the two objects interact only with one another; the only force affecting each ...

in classical mechanics. More than 70 percent of academic faculty in the United States are in a relationship where both partners work, and more than a third of faculty have a partner who also works in academia. Traditionally, this problem is solved by wives who supported their husbands' careers. However, compromises the couple make while trying to negotiate the two-body problem may have implications in the context of gender equality. Failure to compromise may have negative spillovers leading to difficulty in managing a family, and poor performance at work.

References

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External links

Spousal Hiring Policies
by the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

Intimate relationships Higher education Education economics Academic culture

See also

References

External links