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8/2/2019 Challenges Faced by Female Expats

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Dissertation Report

SUBMITTED BY:

SHIVANI RAWAT

BBA+MBA(DUAL)


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Th e traditional reasons for foreign assignments h ave gradually been replaced by a more strategic viewof expatriation focussing on t h e global expertise t h at can be gained by expatriates and h ow t h isknowledge can be transferred to and benefit t h e parent corporation. T o t h e extent t h at t h isknowledge is tacit in nature, expatriates are t h e basic ve h icles to transfer suc h knowledge betweenorganizational units. Hence, an emerging view of foreign assignments is t h at it may create a uniquecompetitive advantage w h ich is difficult to imitate by competitors.

Female Expatriates. Th e steady increase in t h e s h are of female business expatriates is a positive trend,

bot h

for assigning firms and for t h

ose expatriates t h

emselves. However, emerging research

evidencesuggests t h at circumstances may be different for women t h an t h eir male counterparts bot h before,during and after t h eir foreign assignments.

CHALLENGES FACED BY FEMALE EXPATS:

There are many reasons why women expats face a different set of challenges than men do. Whileexpat situations for women vary greatly, there are some common issues with which all canidentify. Being aware of these known issues is a source of power for women, because in the end,it is up to each individual to discover the inner strength to find ways to create a positive andsatisfying life abroad.

Safety

This is an issue for all women everywhere, but of course it plays a more prominent role in thelives of single women, and more so for single women in a foreign country. The challenge is tofind a balance between exuding self-confidence and taking sensible precautions.

One major factor that leaves a person vulnerable in any situation is unfamiliarity, so being as perceptive to ones surroundings as well as to the general cultural atmosphere as possible is oneof the best precautions that a woman can take. Learning such details as which streets and whichneighborhoods are safest is one aspect of safety, while taking a wider view of a places history,culture, and current social issues is important for putting things into proper perspective. Learningthe language is another very important key to knowing what is going on around oneself. Andnetworking with other expats as well as locals in the community especially with women will

be invaluable to feeling safe and secure in a foreign country, as this is the best way to get a graspof what the crime situation is really like on the ground and find out how best to avoid beingvictimized.

El Machismo

Women should prepare themselves for being perceived and treated differently than they may beused to when they enter into other cultures. Cultural attitudes are complex and oftencontradictory creatures, and it is difficult to overemphasize the importance of realizing howdifferent these cultural attitudes are.

Do not assume, for example, that the fact that Argentinas president is a woman means thatwomen in general have achieved equality or are given the same kind of respect that men aregiven. The objectification of womens bodies is prolific in this country, from the bountifulimages of topless women at every magazine stand to the way women appear on television to theconstant barrage of perfect, youthful bodies in advertising. Many men see a woman who isunaccompanied by a man as fair game for catcalls and sexual advances, and the notion of chivalry is alive and well, at least in their minds. Learning to ignore the unwanted attention aswell as asserting strength and capability would be among the coping skills that women new to


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this kind of machismo culture might need to attain. Again, networking with other women can bean invaluable aid in this regard.

It should be stressed that understanding the unspoken rules of dress and conduct is theresponsibility of the woman in these kinds of societies, and failing to learn the boundaries andfollow the rules could be dangerous for any woman, particularly a foreigner. Pushing the

boundaries or trying to make a point about how wrong it is that women are held responsible for the urges and actions of men should be left to people who come from within these societies, notattempted by foreigners unless they have become immersed in the society. Such cultural attitudes

have persisted for a thousand years and will have to evolve from within.

Stress

With considerations such as the above, it is no wonder that women find expatriation to be morestressful than men do. Several other factors also play into this reality, having to do with thewomans fundamental role in the family.

Women are the nurturers, whose concern is the health and well-being of her family. Therefore,much of the stress and difficulty that the children in the family go through when they are movedabroad falls into the lap of the mother, who must help them adjust to their new surroundings

(especially if her spouse is busy at the job assignment that was the reason for the expatriation asituation that will be covered in more detail in the next installment of this two-part series).Meanwhile, of course, she is going through the adjustment process, herself.

According to reporting from the US-based Interchange Institute, it is mothers with teenagers whohave the most difficult time adjusting, which, considering the nature of teenagers, is notsurprising. What is more interesting is that mothers of younger and adult children reported doing

better than women with no children at all. This punctuates what many parents have discoveredfor themselves, the fact that children, as long as they are not in the throes of all the crazyhormonal changes that drive teenage angst, often serve as an engaging factor, forcing their

parents to interact with the community through school and other social activities that children

need in their lives.

The study also highlighted the other fundamental role that women play in their families, and thatis as a connecting force. Women in general need to feel connected to a much greater degree thanmen do, which was one of the biggest reported sources of stress for women expatriates. Beingaway from family and friends is difficult for most women. The internet technology of today hasmade this issue much more bearable, yet staying in contact cannot possibly replace beingtogether at holidays and other special family occasions, and when women who are very closelyconnected with loved ones who are far away have to contend with unreliable or intermittentinternet access, they can become distraught, feeling lost and alone.

Connection

Women generally need not only connection with their own families, but they also tend to bemore in need of feeling that they are connected with a community. Therefore, overcoming all of the urges that might cause someone to perpetuate their isolation fear of the unknown andinsecurities about being different and not fitting in can be a major challenge for many expatwomen. This is yet another reason why language learning is such a big help to women in

particular, and this fact is born out in the report. One of the most common pieces of advice given by participants was to study the local language. This, of course, will facilitate engagement in thecommunity, make taking care of tasks less frustrating, and help to alleviate those feelings of isolation.


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A great tool for expats to find connection, in several different respects, is blogging. This is for anyone who wants to share their experiences, photos, recipes, etc, but the more I explore theinternet in search of expat blogs, which are an excellent way for potential expats to gain somevaluable insight into the expat experience, the more I find that the expat women bloggersoutnumber the men by quite a bit. Many bloggers say that they began their expat blogs in order to continue sharing their lives with friends and loved ones back home, letting them know howthey are doing and showing off what this foreign country is like staying connected. Asecondary effect that often results is becoming connected with others expat bloggers, expats,

potential expats, people who are interested in this interesting lifestyle choice, and many other

pleasant surprises.

Another kind of connection will occur via the act of recording ones experiences, impressions,and thoughts about a place. Keeping alert for things that will be of interest to write about or take

photos of; learning about the history and culture of a place; exploring all of these are ways of heightening ones awareness, which in turn, leads to feeling more comfortable in surroundingsthat are more closely examined. Blogging, keeping a diary, or writing about ones experiences inany way is always connective and can also be therapeutic, helping one to sort out their feelingsand find their way through the fog of the unfamiliar.

N etworking

And then there is networking, which keeps coming up when considering expat womens issues.Women, because of this need to connect, feel secure, and for moral support, need to network with friends, family, other expats, and people with similar interests, and especially with other women.

Networking is not just about adding friends to a list or finding fellow English speakers to talk to.Rather, it is about finding helpful and positive connections. Feeling lost, disconnected, and out of control of ones life is a very common expat experience that will not get any better if other

people are feeding into it with negative or cynical attitudes. While seeking the company of people who are going through the same struggles is only natural, gaining some sense of control

in a foreign culture is far more difficult if the reaction is withdrawal to an insular clique rather than engagement. Like the homesick child at summer camp, dwelling on what one misses abouthome causes them to miss out on all the positive aspects of the place they are in. And just asthere are councilors to help kids at summer camp, there are many great expat sites to facilitatenetworking, several of which focus on women expats, which offer positive input, advice, andconnection.


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Ensuring the Success of Women on Global AssignmentsAs the Caligiuri and Tung study suggests, women can be very successful in global assignments. However,MNCs cannot ignore the fact that it is a challenge for women to be global assignees in some countries.Thus, in an article in the Journal of World Business, a frame- work to better understand what makes

women successful in global assignments was developed .The four critical factors in the model include:

P ersonality traits Organizational support Family support

y A Host nationals' attitudes toward women expatriates.

Personality Characteristics

For both male and female expatriates, personality traits (such as openness and flexibility) have beenassociated with cross-cultural adjustment. The demands on an expatriate's predisposed personality,however, may be greater for women. Women, for example, need to possess the stress management

skills to cope with possibly being the only female in a work setting. The expatriate women are oftenworking in host countries that have lower rates of women as managers. Thus, women not only need tounderstand cultural differences, but also the gender differences that might be present in cultures thatsee more tradition-al roles for women in society. Female expatriates may be placed in situations wherethese cultural differences have a more direct impact on their performance on the job, and the ability tobe open to differences in values, norms and behaviors may be all the more important . These women

will need to be flexible (and tolerant) in their attitudes toward cultural differences.

Family Supp ort

The process of moving to an international location often involves the expatriate's family. P ast research

has noted that a family's ability to adjust to a move overseas is related to the expatriate's ability toadjust and succeed on the global assignment (Harvey, 1995) . In a longitudinal study of families on global

assignments, Caligiuri, Hyland, Joshi and Bross (1998) found that family characteristics, such as familycohesion, were related to an expatriate's success on an assignment .


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O rganization supp ort


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