Issue 4 2008 > Proactive Strategies for Female Expatriate Assignments
Proactive Strategies for Female Expatriate Assignments
Female expats are increasingly taking on international assignments. Along with this trend, women are learning to adapt to cultural influences. But, unlike their male counterparts, they may also be coping with gender-related issues that are incumbent with living and working as a single female in a foreign country. For example, a female arrives at her host city for the first time and begins to chat with her taxi driver. After a while, the taxi driver asks, “Are you traveling alone?” Later, the woman arrives at a restaurant and the host says “table for two?” This is a single professional woman who has never experienced questions like this before and does not know how to respond. While seasoned female expats would know how to cope with these situations, a less worldly, perhaps younger female, may be left feeling a bit baffled and confused.
Human resource professionals need to develop strategies to help these women cope. Ms. Sonsino, principal at Mercer Human Resource Consulting noted, “many companies’ policies are outdated and do not reflect the changing profile of their expatriates.” One proactive strategy is to identify the traits which are typically associated with successful female expatriates. While successful female expats can be any age, they all tend to have a distinct understanding, an admiration and even a respect of world culture. These seasoned expats are able to manage most aspects of the settling in process on their own while their independent spirits help them cope with potential gender-related issues in their professional lives. For the less worldly expat females, relocation packages should include comprehensive intercultural training.
If a female expat understands why her clients and colleagues are behaving a certain way, and is taught how to react to gender-related situations, she will enjoy a smoother settling-in period and quickly add value to her role and her organization. Since female expats may live alone, she may need time off to be at home to accept vendor deliveries, help unpacking, handyman services or even security assistance.
She can also be provided with some traditional “expat perks.” She could employ a housekeeper or a nanny, which will give her time to explore the country, travel around the region, meet other expats and enjoy the city’s nightlife. These additional benefits will improve her quality of life and increase the likelihood of a successful overseas assignment.