Results of first survey on issues impacting dual career couples by the Society of Petroleum Engineers. 5570 people from around the world participated in this study.

1. SPE Dual Career Couple Survey –
May 2011
Eve Sprunt and Susan Howes
Chevron

2. Motivation for
SPE Dual Career Couple Survey
 Dual career couples appear to be an increasing part of the workforce
 Many so-called women’s issues are really dual career couple issues
 Surveys can be a powerful motivator for change -- MIT study:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/images/documents/women-report-
2011.pdf
 Publically available surveys on dual career couples are of academics --
2008 Stanford study found that academic couples comprise 36% of US
professors and another 36% have employed, non-academic partners.
http://www.stanford.edu/group/gender/ResearchPrograms/DualCar
eer/DualCareerFinal.pdf
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3. Survey Is Representative
of SPE Membership
 Age distribution of those
responding to survey similar to
age distribution for SPE
membership
 5570 responses
 Response rate of 12%, for SPE
members typical “good”
response rate is 10%
 SPE does not have gender info
for members, so comparison of
response rate by gender is not
possible.
– 13% did not state gender
– 14% female
– 73% male
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4. More Women In Petroleum Engineering
 For the youngest age range,
women now comprise more than
30% of the workforce in that age
range.
 Women are more than 25% of
the workforce under 40.
 The responses to many of the
questions in the survey were
distinctly different for women
than for men.
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0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
20 to
24
25 to
29
30 to
34
35 to
39
40 to
44
45 to
49
50 to
54
55 to
59
60 to
64
65 to
69
PercentageofAgeCategory
Age Range (years)
Female Percentage of Workforce

5. Demographics for Women
Very Different Than for Men
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 Age distribution peak
 Men at 50 to 54
 Women at 30 to 34
 High percentage of women in dual
career couples with a large fraction of
those in couples where both
contribute equally to household
income

6. Dual Careers are a Major Issue
for Younger Workers
 57% of those 30 to 34 years old
consider themselves to be in a
dual career couple relationship
 Almost 30% of those 30 to 34
years old are in a dual career
couple relationship where each
partner contributes at least 40%
of household income.
 Will younger workers be forced
to choose whose career is more
important?
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7. Employer Preference Differences
 For every category, IOC’s are the top employer
 Women show a much stronger preference for IOC’s than men do
 Women are less likely to work for service companies or to be self-
employed than men
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0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
IOC Independent NOC Service
Company
University Consulting Self employed Other
PercentofCategory
Employer Preference
Dual Career men
Dual Career women
Single Career men
Single Career women

8. Ease of Relocation
 For all employer types, 15 to 20% of men say they can easily relocate
 Much bigger range in response by employer type for women, ranging from 8% for
consultants to 23% for “other”
 Only about 10% of women working for IOC’s and service companies say that it is easy for
them to relocate
 Those working for the same employer as their partner are much more likely to say it is easy
for them to relocate, especially women working for IOC’s (about 75%) and service
companies (over 55%)
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9. Working for the Same Employer
 Women are almost twice as
likely to have their partner in the
petroleum industry than men
– 65% women
– 34% men
 Women more likely to have their
partner work for the same
company
– 36% women
– 20% men
 It is much easier for women to
be mobile if they work for the
same employer as their partner.
 Positive
– “As an expat, it is quite handy
being dual career, means we
can both work while living
overseas”
 Negative
– “Career planning within one
company is difficult, since the
influence on each other is very
high. It is much easier if the
company doesn’t know that you
are a couple.”
– “Working in two companies, we
get double benefits… Yes it is
double, but we are two
workers.”
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10. Living with Dependent Children
 Have dependent children living with them
– 64% all in dual career couple
– 63.5% of those in couples where each contributes at least a third of
household income
– 61% of those in couples where each contributes at least 40% of
household income
– 59% of women who contribute at least 40%
 Median age
– Women without children is 31
– Women with dependent children who contribute at least 1/3 income is 40
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11. Conclusions
 Dual career couples comprise about half the workforce between 25 and 45.
 Proportion of dual career couples will probably increase as the big crew change
progresses.
 Relocation is easier if both partners in the couple work for the same company.
 Relocations that prevent one of the partners from working impose financial and
emotional strain. Employer cultures that link advancement to relocation will be at a
disadvantage in attracting and retaining talent.
 Couples who work for the same employer, should not be put in the position of
competing with one another for whose career takes the lead. Each person should be
judged on their own contribution and potential, and compensated accordingly.
 Female technical professionals are delaying, but not forgoing motherhood. Women
may work for a decade or longer before becoming mothers.
 Employers who are attractive to individuals in dual career relationships will have a
competitive advantage in attracting and retaining the brightest talent.
 Report on this study is available through SPE’s One Petro as SPE-151971-MS and
will also be published in SPE’s Journal of Petroleum Technology (JPT).
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12. Back-up slides
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13. Major Regional Differences
 30 to 50% people younger than 45 contribute at least 1/3 household
income in US/Canada, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand.
 Lowest penetration of serious dual career couples in Africa/Middle
East, but even there more such couples for those under age 35.
 Trends are more “robust” for regions with more responses
 Almost half of all responses come from USA/Canada.
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14. Next Steps
 Survey SPE Talent Council on best practices for managing dual
career couples
 Survey SPE Young Professionals and SPE members under 45
– At what age do they have their first child
– Career aspirations
– Priorities for work-life balance
 Under the auspices of the Women’s Network Committee of the
Society of Exploration Geophysicists survey the entire SEG
membership
– Duration of maternity/paternity leave
– Whose career is more important?
– Terms under which they would relocate
– Bullying
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15. Younger People are Part of
Dual Career Couples
 People in their 30’s are more
likely to be in a dual career
couple in which each partner
contributes nearly equally to the
household income.
 10% of former dual career
people are in the age bracket 35
to 39 and over 18% in the age
bracket 50 to 54.
 Relatively few single career
people under 45.
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16. Dual Career Workforce: SPE Study
 There are a high percentage of dual career
couples in the workforce, with more coming
along in the pipeline
 Approximately 20-25% of dual career couples
have partners who contribute major portion to
the household income
 Supports our conclusion that educating
supervisors on our flexibility policies is and will
be even more critical to successful
employment from dual career couples
Source: May 2011 Society of Petroleum Engineers
(SPE) Dual Career Couple Survey with 9970
responses, 12 % response rate, championed
by Eve Sprunt and Susan Howes
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