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BACKGROUND : Dual-doctor marriages are increasingly frequent. The question raised here is whether being married to a fellow physician has a different impact on a doctor's career and family life than having a spouse in a different profession. MATERIAL AND METHODS : In 1996 a questionnaire was mailed to physicians who received their authorisation to practise medicine in Norway in the years 1980 through 1983 period; 1142 responded (67 %). They supplied data on their current employment status and data on employment history and marital background. Multivariate analysis was used in order to explore how the educational background of spouses affects a medical career. RESULTS : Female physicians who marry a physician marry and have families at a younger age than other female physicians. Moreover, they more often enter specialties; in some specialities they also qualify earlier than those who marry non-physicians. The same did not hold for male physicians. However, male physicians in dual-doctor marriages more frequently worked part time and they far less frequently had spouses working part time than other male doctors. INTERPRETATION : The results suggest that dual-doctor couples to a higher extent share in giving care to their families, have more interests in common and are more supportive of each other's needs. Female physicians seem to benefit particularly.

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