How Conjoined Twins Only Receive One Salary Despite Holding Two Degrees

Abby and Brittany Hensel, the conjoined twins from Minnesota who first captured global attention on The Oprah Winfrey Show and later starred in their own TLC reality series, have revealed that they still receive just one salary for their full-time teaching job, even though they each hold individual college degrees and teaching licenses.

The 34-year-olds, who were born with the rare condition dicephalic parapagus,  meaning they have two heads but share one body, work as fifth-grade teachers in the U.S. Despite their physical connection, both women operate independently in many aspects of life and are certified as two separate educators.

In an interview, Abby explained their understanding of the situation:
“Obviously right away we understand that we are going to get one salary because we’re doing the job of one person. But as maybe experience comes in, we’d like to negotiate a little bit, considering we have two degrees and because we are able to give two different perspectives or teach in two different ways.”

Brittany added: “One can be teaching and one can be monitoring and answering questions. So in that sense, we can do more than one person.”

The pair graduated from Bethel University in 2012 with dual majors in education and later obtained two separate teaching licenses. Despite this, their compensation structure doesn’t reflect their dual professional identity,  a situation they hope to see evolve with time and recognition of their unique capabilities.

Though they share many bodily functions and movements, Abby and Brittany each have their own brain, heart, lungs, and stomach. Together, they’ve mastered remarkable coordination: Abby controls the right side of their body, including the pedals when they drive, while Brittany controls the left, including the blinkers. Both must steer.

They’ve lived full lives, from sports and academics to driving tests, relationships, and professional careers, always insisting they are two separate people living in the same body.

Their journey continues to challenge societal norms and raise important questions about identity, autonomy, and fairness in professional environments.

Despite the challenges, the twins have said they are content and hopeful that future conversations around inclusivity will begin to recognise the full value of their contributions, not just as one body, but as two qualified and capable individuals.