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The results of this study indicate that the more copreneurs successfully negotiate their needs in their relationship with their spouse (need for independence/connection, for relationship predictability/novelty, for openness with partner and also some things to remain private, and work and family needs), the more satisfied they will be in their marriage and the more work-life balance they will experience. Husbands reported that their marriage satisfaction is only related to experiencing more work-family balance, WHEN their wives are satisfied with their marriage, (but it is not related when their wives are not satisfied). Wives reported that having the flexibility to run errands or take care of family matters when needed also helped increase their sense of work-family balance. While husbands were supportive of their wives having this flexibility, the flexibility was not personally important to the husbands. The findings suggest what communicative practices that copreneurs use to balance their work and family lives, including those that make their business run more efficiently and are used to maintain a satisfactory personal relationship.

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Jill R. Helmle, Ph.D.; Studied Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests include work and family issues, family businesses, as well as marital and parent-child relationships.

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