Anti-Nepotism Rules and Dual Career Couples: Policy Questions for Public Personnel Administrators

Abstract

An increasing number of dual career couples are now entering the job market. This trend poses important questions about the relevance of traditional personnel practices, such as anti-nepotism rules, which treat marriage and the family as potential sources of conflict in the work place. Professional couples may want to work together in the same organization, but anti-neoptism policies often prohibit such arrangements. A 1986 survey of public administrators in eight mid-western states revealed that a majority of respondents placed restrictions on the employment of married couples. While some commentators in the business sector have urged managers to repeal their anti-nepotism rules, their recommendation may be impractical in the public sector, where personnel managers operate in a political environment.