(LifeWire)  -- Misti Guertin was a publicist with a full roster of clients and a growing salary when her husband, Gary, 56, was offered a job managing a luxury resort on a private island in the Caribbean. "It takes some heartfelt conversations to begin balancing the career scales in a marriage," says an expert. "My career was just beginning to bloom," says the Stuart, Florida, resident, "but we both placed more emphasis on Gary's career." Misti, 47, was raised to believe that the man's career comes first. So she went, taking a token title as co-manager of the resort. But less than a year after their arrival in 2005, a fire ravaged the resort and Gary's contract was terminated.
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Study: It's common for couples to place more emphasis on the man's career
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Book author battles with NASA pilot over whose career is most important
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Wife found herself dealing with subtle power plays at home
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Possible fixes: Long-distance marriage, trading places, honest conversations
"I can't call @placeholder and say, 'Excuse me, I can't come in because my wife has a book signing.'"