Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The annual stock of highly educated women, particularly in biomedical science careers, has risen since the 1960s. This rise of women in biomedical research has resulted in an increase of scientists who are in dual-career couple[1]relationships. These families are balancing the careers of two highly accomplished individuals, sometimes with the additional factor of raising children and supporting other family members. Using the American Community Survey (ACS)’s Census occupational codes to identify biomedical researchers, we examine the labor supply and socioeconomic characteristics of highly educated dual-career couples focusing on biomedical researchers. We present our results in the paper and discuss policy implications from the employer perspective.