The spouse of an E-2 principal is employment-authorized incident to status. Children in dependent status may generally study but cannot work, and they age out at twenty-one.
Each member's permissions differ
Household planning around this category needs the permissions written down per person, because they are not the same. A spouse may take employment on the basis of their own status rather than through a sponsoring employer, which matters for a family whose income during the first trading years will be uncertain. Children may attend school under the published guidance on which classes may study, and they hold no work permission at any age through dependent status alone.
The twenty-first birthday is the fixed point: a child who reaches it stops fitting the derivative classification and needs an independent basis to remain. Because this category has no direct route to permanent residence, a long stay does not resolve that question by itself.