Basic Trope: A woman must choose between having a fulfilling career and having a husband or a long-term boyfriend around.
- Straight:
- Alice and Bob decide to get married. As the wedding date approaches, Alice gives notice at work and lives out the rest of her life as a Housewife.
- Alice calls off the wedding to focus on her career.
- Exaggerated:
- Alice can't even date as long as she has a career.
- Every heterosexual female character in the setting is made to decide if she would rather have a partner or a job.
- Downplayed: Alice works from home or telecommutes after the wedding.
- Justified:
- Alice lives in a society with very traditional gender roles; it's Bob's job to bring home the bacon and Alice's to cook it, and she is expected and encouraged to quit her job when she marries.
- Alice finds taking care of the house, garden, kids, et cetera, more fulfilling than going to the office.
- Alice is The Ditz and has demonstrated that she needs somebody to manage her life.
- Careers (as opposed to just plain old jobs) take time and energy; Alice doesn't have enough of those to devote to a career and a romantic relationship or marriage.
- Guys are intimidated by the type of career Alice has chosen.
- Alice is a nun; she gave up dating and marriage to be a nun.
- Alice is a Workaholic who neglects her social life for her career.
- Inverted:
- Alice cannot marry unless she has a job—otherwise she, her husband, and their children will be penniless.
- Alice is not allowed to have a job unless she's already married.
- Gender-Inverted: Alice and Bob get married, and shortly afterwards Bob leaves his job to be a House Husband.
- Subverted:
- Alice does have a career outside the home.
- Alice is seen on a date.
- Alice is shown to be in a relationship, or even married.
- Alice is seen studying in college, presumably for a career.
- Alice has a crush on her boss, which drives away potential boyfriends. The dilemma is less Career vs. Man and more Man vs. Man
- Double Subverted:
- Her career is something society considers to be "feminine" and "non-threatening", such as teaching or nursing.
- Alice doesn't leave her job when she marries, but does leave after she and Bob have their first child.
- Everyone else considers it odd, shameful, or a reason to pity Alice because (gasp!) she's helping to support her family instead of relying solely on Bob.
- She never seems to get a long-term boyfriend.
- The date does become a boyfriend, drama happens that's connected to her job in some way, and then he breaks up with her (or she breaks up with him).
- Because Alice is Married to the Job, she can't seem to sustain a long-term relationship or marriage.
- Her degree proves to be A Degree in Useless that's really just an MRS Degree.
- Parodied: Alice is notified that she's been fired on her wedding day, give or take a day or two. (Don't ask how her boss found out when she didn't tell anybody at work.)
- Zig-Zagged:
- Some women leave their jobs at marriage, others keep working.
- Alice herself is fired and rehired multiple times after she gets engaged.
- Averted:
- Alice keeps working after her marriage.
- Alice never worked a day in her life, and gets married right out of college or High School (if she even graduated at all).
- Enforced: The setting requires it due to Deliberate Values Dissonance.
- Lampshaded: "Married women shouldn't work! That's the husband's job! The wife's job is to take care of the house and raise lots of kids!"
- Invoked: Alice is feeling a bit burned out at her job, and she just happens to be marrying Bob, who makes a lot more than she does.
- Exploited: Companies market household products to married middle-class women, because they are (supposedly) the product's target demographic.
- Defied: Alice wants to work, and she feels she needs to be self-reliant in case Bob dies ... or leaves for someone younger and prettier.
- Discussed: Alice notes that she appreciates both Bob and her job, but whenever she wants to be at one, the other demands more from her. She asks her parents, Jim and Kate, for guidance.
- Conversed: Carol watches The Alice and Bob Show and says, "That show is remarkably sexist. I'm glad I don't have to live in those circumstances where women are forced to play to that False Dichotomy."
- Implied: Alice's business suit and college diploma are tucked away behind her wedding dress.
- Deconstructed:
- Not everyone is cut out to be (or gets ultimate fulfillment from being) Suzie Homemaker. Alice could lose her sense of purpose, leading to boredom and depression, especially if she's always been very independent and self-reliant. Also, what happens if Bob dies or leaves her?
- And on the other hand, what if circumstances, misfortune, or both force Alice to end her career early or it ends up going nowhere? While she can take care of herself, she is ultimately left by herself as her career ambitions whittle away her social circle.
- Reconstructed: Alice does what she wants, what she feels is best. She chooses a partner who supports her choices in life. Whatever she does, she feels a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
- Played for Laughs: Alice and Bob are comically inept at both housework and professional work — and whichever Alice chooses will turn out to be the worse one.
- Played for Drama: Alice has real talents in one or more extra-domestic spheres, but if she chooses Bob, this mentality prevents her from using them, thereby imposing an opportunity cost for her choice.
If you go back to Career Versus Man, you won't be able to stay here!
