Working couples in small business.

WORKING COUPLES IN SMALL BUSINESS

Small business affords a golden opportunity for married couples who want to work together. Indeed, the living together-working together arrangement in small business is so common that the term "mom and pop store"

has become a catch-phrase. This article presents the results of a study that examined the business/marriage relationships of 220 couples who operate small businesses. The quality and harmony of relationships between working couples and the ways in which they perceive their relationships were explored.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Little research has been conducted into the perceived quality of the business/marriage relationships of coordinated career couples. For the most part, existing literature addresses the advantages and disadvantages of career coordination. For example, Rothart contends that the biggest problem faced by couples who work together is keeping work-related problems isolated from their personal lives. Bird cites competition between spouses and too much togetherness as potential sources of marital strife. Harris foresees potential marital problems arising from the lack of an emotional outlet for couples who work together. ("Neither can go home and tell the other how bad the day was.") Nadler reflects a similar concern in commenting that coordinated career couples have no "hiding place" at home and no opportunity to be alone.

Burack and Calero point to the inevitability of conflict (both positive and negative) between couples who work together, with serious ramifications for small business profitability. Heckman, Bryson, and Bryson highlight yet another potential marital problem that stems from the common expectation of husbands that the working wife should handle homemaking and child-rearing responsibilities in addition to job responsibilities.

Heckman, Bryson, and Bryson summarize six major areas of potential trouble for couples who work together: (1) strife caused by restricted job mobility; (2) excessive demands on each spouse's time and energy; (3) inability to separate professional and personal problems; (4) role conflicts; (5) spouse competitiveness; and (6) bringing home work-related problems.

Working together has potential advantages as well as disadvantages for married couples. Bekey cites the advantage of improved communication. Brown postulates that working together may well benefit spouses who share high dependency needs. Arkin and Dobrofsky feel that working together may enhance a couple's sense of intimacy. Empirical research by Sommer indicated that business and managerial stability may be enhanced as a result of working together, and Kishel and Kishel indicate that personality compatibility is the key determinant of whether a couple can benefit by working together.