It’s the modern marriage vow of our time: to have and to hold, through his career and mine.
While plenty of married couples are not (yet) declaring such vows publicly during their wedding ceremonies, they’re certainly talking about them behind closed doors. And then telling the world about it once they make the great career priority swap.
The latest high-profile individual to reveal such a promise is former Queensland premier Anna Bligh, who has just declared that it’s time for husband Greg Withers’ career to take the career front seat in their relationship.
The former Queensland premier has issued a statement noting her intentions to leave the Sunshine state to join Withers in Sydney, where he will next month start in a senior executive role with Arts NSW.
“We agreed many years ago that after politics it would be Greg’s turn to determine the next phase of our lives,” Bligh said, announcing the move overnight. “I could not have pursued my political career or achieved anything in public life without Greg’s loving support over almost three decades.”
This must be a tough move for Bligh, which makes you wonder what Withers’ had to sacrifice through his wife’s time in the spotlight. Bligh’s not only leaving the high profile career, but also her home.
Another woman who has done the career priority swap (albeit in reverse order to Bligh) is Oroton CEO Sally Macdonald. She recently told an AGSM leadership event that in order to get the work/life balance she and her husband desire, he’s working to support her career, just as she once did in supporting his.
But it’s not easy. As Sally noted, travelling the world with the kids, while her husband pursued his ultimate career ambitions, left her own networks and little black book in tatters. It took some time for her to get the job she wanted.
There are plenty of couples out there proving that those on both sides of a relationship can advance their careers, at the same time, just as there are plenty of couples who simply cannot afford to jump in and out of the career spotlight.
But for some, the priority swap is a legitimate way to support each other through different career and life stages. It’s a way to pursue one’s careers goals, knowing they have the full backing and support of their partner behind them. Just as long as you can finally get him, or her, to at some point take their hands off the wheel and jump in the backseat.
Are career vows necessary for saving a marriage or partnership that aims to see both partners to excel individually in their careers? Tell us your thoughts, or your own experiences with career vows, below.