A sociological survey of 52 doctors' wives was performed. The majority had attended private school, 19% had reached a tertiary level of education and 58% had been employed in the health profession before marriage, 42% in the nursing profession. At the time of the survey only 10% were in full-time external employment, but the majority assisted their husbands in their professional work. A minority acknowledged some loss of personal identity in being a doctor's wife.