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Work and Intimacy: Reassessing the Career/Couple Norm through a Narrative Case Approach

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  • Jesse Potter

Abstract

It is argued that ‘career’, as linear progression through one industry or two, and ‘coupledom’, as hetero, cohabitive, and moving towards marriage, have both been undermined by alternate arrangements for work and intimacy. In the face of these changes, this article considers how the hallmarks of coupling and the tenets of career manifest themselves in everyday interactions within partnerships. The article uses a narrative case approach to explore these interactions in depth. It reveals not only the persistence of normative assumptions within couple relationships but also how the ‘work’ of couple relationships draw on particular expectations surrounding what it means to negotiate a successful ‘career’. The paradigm of progress transects career/couple narratives, blurring the already opaque boundaries between productive and personal realms. This entanglement presents challenges for individuals, limiting prescriptions for what are considered ‘acceptable’ narratives of work and intimacy.

Suggested Citation

  • Jesse Potter, 2019. "Work and Intimacy: Reassessing the Career/Couple Norm through a Narrative Case Approach," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 24(3), pages 261-277, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:24:y:2019:i:3:p:261-277
    DOI: 10.1177/1360780418792431
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sasha Roseneil, 2006. "On Not Living with a Partner: Unpicking Coupledom and Cohabitation," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 11(3), pages 111-124, September.
    2. Paul Johnson & Steph Lawler, 2005. "Coming Home to Love and Class," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 10(3), pages 67-79, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Atte Vieno, 2021. "‘Airport People’ in Transformation: Vertical Disintegration and the Reconfiguration of Occupational Belonging in Terminal Work at Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 26(1), pages 108-124, March.

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