The two-body problem is a

dilemma A dilemma () is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but distinguishing the dilemma from other kinds of p ...

for life partners (e.g. spouses or any other couple) often referred to in

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, relating to the difficulty of both spouses obtaining jobs at the same university, narrow specialism, or within a reasonable commuting distance from each other. The inability of one partner to accommodate the other produces this central dilemma, which is a

no-win situation A no-win situation or lose–lose situation is an outcome of a negotiation, conflict or challenging circumstance in which all parties are worse off. It is an alternative to a win–win or outcome in which one party wins. Arbitration or media ...

in which if the couple wishes to stay together one of them may be forced to abandon an academic career, or if both wish to pursue academic careers the relationship may falter due to the spouses being constantly separated.Benton, Thomas H. (pen name of William Pannapacker) (2009).
Just Don't Go, Part 2
. ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', 13 March 2009, accessed 21 June 2012. The term ''two-body problem'' has been used in the context of working couples since at least the mid-1990s. It alludes to the

two-body problem In classical mechanics, the two-body problem is to calculate and predict the motion of two massive bodies that are orbiting each other in space. The problem assumes that the two bodies are point particles that interact only with one another; th ...

in classical mechanics. More than 70 percent of academic faculty in the United States are in a relationship where both partners work, and more than a third of faculty have a partner who also works in academia. Traditionally, this problem was solved by wives who supported their husbands' careers by interrupting their own, often combined with an academic advancement system that actively discriminated against women and especially married women. Some past overt sexism has been ameliorated, and many universities have instituted spousal hiring programs or other creative approaches to the problem. Nevertheless, gendered pressure to compromise persists and causes a disproportionate number of women to leave the academic workforce.

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Spousal Hiring Policies
by the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world, claiming over 10,000 members. Founded in 1884, AHA works to protect academic free ...

Intimate relationships Higher education Education economics Academic culture Women and employment

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