Women and international assignments: taking stock - a 25-year review

Women's progress into management and, more specifically, into the world of expatriates, is the subject of this review. Despite advances in equal opportunities legislation, women failed to embark on expatriate missions in significant numbers during the 1980s. In the 1990s, more women were offered international assignment opportunities but they remained a negligible minority compared to men. The first decade of the twenty-first century has witnessed a gradual increase in the number and visibility of women in international assignments. Through a comprehensive review of the literature over the period from 1980 to now, this article charts the emerging themes and changes in the tone of discourse: from when organizations were debating whether to “give women a chance” through attempts to identify and remove “blockages” to women's progress to, most recently, structural changes in the expatriate assignment and claims for women's superior affinity to operating internationally. We highlight gaps in the current literature and propose a platform for future research. We conclude with recommendations for practice. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

The Purpose of Expatriation: Why Women Undertake International Assignments

Women international assignees have historically been successful, but they make up a relatively low proportion of organizationally assigned expatriates. By appreciating the factors that encourage women to undertake internationally mobile careers, organizations can widen their talent pool. Using a triangulated, qualitative research approach set within two case study firms in the oil and gas exploration and production industry, this article identifies contrasting views between female assignees and their organizations with respect to the purpose of expatriation and the factors women take into consideration in their decision to undertake it. This research is based on analysis of organizational policy; a survey of 71 women expatriates and in-depth, semistructured interviews with 26 female assignees (selected from the survey returns using stratified sampling); and interviews with 14 human resource professionals responsible for international mobility policy design and implementation. Career, family, and financial precondition effects are identified. From these, a model is proposed to link stated organizational assignment purpose with women's participation rationales, and recommendations for practice to increase expatriate gender diversity are set out

Extreme Expatriation: The Effect of Location Factors and Masculine Environments on Women’s International Assignment Participation in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

Expatriation in oil and gas exploration and production involves relocation or frequent mobility to geographically remote, climatically harsh, even dangerous locations. Living in camps, compounds or offshore rigs typically involves family separation for lengthy periods with little respite from a highly masculine social ethos. Women undertaking such assignments can experience limited opportunities for fulfilling social lives. Even city-based solo expatriation can prove to be isolating. Yet, extreme geographical locations do not preclude women’s expatriation as benefits such as good career prospects, high monetary rewards and various forms of organizational support can potentially outweigh the disadvantages. Based on 12 interviews with solo expatriates, this chapter highlights the factors that influence women’s decisions to undertake single status expatriation and their experiences of living in highly gendered geographies. Organizational policy that supports female assignees can help to make extreme expatriation more attractive to women