Reconciling individuality and partnership behind the badge: career sustainability of the spouses of Indian bureaucrats

Purpose This study integrates the conservation of resources theory and sustainable career theory to explore career sustainability for spouses of Indian bureaucrats. Two research questions are investigated: (1) What competing demands arise between spouses' career aspirations and their expected role as partners of bureaucrats? (2) What coping strategies do spouses use to navigate the competing demands arising from the severely constrained agency in their work lives? Design/methodology/approach Grounded in a qualitative inquiry, this study draws on semi-structured interviews with 26 spouses of Indian bureaucrats, applying thematic analysis to systematically map their career sustainability challenges and coping strategies. Findings Spouses face competing demands, including the struggle for personal identity vs their partner's high-status role, career ambitions vs the constraints of bureaucratic life, and parenthood expectations vs the professional growth conundrum. Limited opportunities to build independent networks and persistent resource depletion further endanger their career sustainability. In response, spouses adopt active strategies to acquire resources and passive strategies to conserve them. Originality/value This study advances theoretical understanding by demonstrating how external factors, particularly a spouse's bureaucratic career, contribute to personal resource depletion, negatively affecting happiness, health and productivity indicators of career sustainability. Practically, our findings provide actionable insights for HRM professionals, employers (of both bureaucrats and their spouses) and policymakers in India.