discussion question due 2/26 please turn in plagiarism report

Successful Women Expatriates: Foreign, Not Female

In a classic article titled “A Gaijin, Not a Woman,” Nancy Adler debunked one of the key myths regarding women as expatriates.* Gaijin is the Japanese word for foreigner. From her research, Adler concluded that it is a mistake to assume that people from foreign cultures, even traditionally patriarchal Asian cultures, apply the same gender role expectations to foreign women that they apply to local women. It seems that people from even very traditional cultures can view foreign businesswomen so differently from how they view local women that gender becomes irrelevant for business purposes. For example, one businesswoman working in Sudan was surprised by the behavior of her Sudanese host. She asked him how it was possible that he could serve her food, give her a cushion to sit on, and wash her arms after the meal. Men never do these things for women according to traditional Sudanese gender role expectations. The Sudanese host reasoned, “Oh, it’s no problem. Women do not do business; therefore, you are not a woman.”* After establishing a business relationship, according to Adler, the real issues that arise in cross-cultural interactions depend more on how host country people react to people of another nationality than on how they react to an expatriate’s gender.

The Woman’s Advantage and Disadvantage

Some studies suggest that women may have some advantages in expatriate positions, especially in Asia.* Being unique has its benefits. Because so few women have expatriate assignments, women who take them report being more visible. Local businesspeople were more likely to remember them and often sought them out more than the women’s male colleagues. North American expatriate women also report that local businessmen from traditional cultures assume that the woman is the best person for the job, reasoning, “Why else would the organization send a woman?”

Women may be more likely to excel in relational skills, a major factor in expatriate success. Women report that local male managers can be more open in communication with a woman than with a man. Local men, even from traditional cultures, can talk at ease with a woman about an array of subjects that include issues outside the domain of traditional male-only conversations. Consequently, being both a businessperson and female gives expatriate women a wider range of interaction options than those available to expatriate men or to local women.*

A recent study provides further insights into the potential advantages that female expatriates have relative to male expatriates.* In a comparative small survey of expatriates, the researchers found that female expatriates had higher scores of self-transcendence than males. Self-transcendence, made up of universalism (ability to understand, appreciate, and care for the well-being of others and nature) and benevolence (ability to make decisions that shows caring and enhancement of the wellbeing of others), is expected to help expatriates adjust well in other cultures. Individuals with high self-transcendence are expected to be more understanding and open-minded and also more loyal and forgiving. The researchers do indeed find that the female expatriates they study have higher self-transcendence than the male expatriates. The study also shows that higher self-transcendence is indeed linked to stronger cultural and work adjustment. The study thus provides some mechanisms as to why female expatriates do perform better than male expatriates.

· Despite the many obvious advantages women expatriates enjoy, the situation is nevertheless bleak for many of them. In-depth interviews with 50 European female expatriates revealed that they faced much worse situations than their male counterparts.* Female expatriates are more likely to Face the glass ceiling: Women expatriates have more difficulty being taken seriously in the early stages of their career. They are more likely to face isolation and loneliness.* They must work harder than their male counterparts, and they constantly need to prove themselves. Studies have shown that, in some cases, women have to be at much higher positions than their male counterparts before they are assigned international positions.

· Need to balance work and family responsibilities: Because of socialization and childhood experiences, research suggests that women expatriates may have a higher burden than their male counterparts to balance family and home responsibilities. There is evidence that female expatriates may be more likely to have to choose between having an international career and having a family, often because of very little support from the partner. Not surprisingly, women managers are less likely to be married and more likely to remain childless than their male counterparts.*

· Need to worry about accompanying spouse: Many female expatriates felt that they could be successful only if the career of their spouse became secondary. However, because of societal norms, it is still difficult for male partners to accept that their spouses have the primary career. It has been found that female expatriates are more likely to have partners with professional careers and that it is more difficult for the company to accommodate the needs of the male partner because of visa regulations and other host country work policies.*

Furthermore, even in societies where women may have advantages because they are viewed differently (e.g., gaijin in Japan), they still face significant barriers. For instance, although research found that Western women had some advantages because they were seen as foreigners rather than as women, it also found that these women faced significant barriers, influencing their ability to adjust to the Japanese environment and to perform well in their jobs.* However, a more recent study argued that Western women should have an easier time in Japan.* It reasoned that Japan has experienced many institutional changes, such as a more flexible market, growth of foreign multinational presence, growth of women in the workforce, and Japan’s 1986 Equal Opportunity Act. These changes should result in some convergence between Western and Japanese attitudes toward women and make for a better environment for women. However, results show that many of the barriers found in a similar study a decade ago are still formidable. Foreign women managers still face cultural barriers, making it harder for them to adjust to their new jobs, perform well, and become accepted in Japan.

The next section explains that women are an ever-growing segment of the expatriate population and companies can implement programs to ensure that they have an opportunity to flourish.

What Can Companies Do to Ensure Female Expatriate Success?

Despite the disadvantages women face, the opportunities for them as expatriate managers are expected to grow, particularly with global companies. Scholars see several factors leading to more women in international assignments.

Many global and multinational companies face an acute shortage of high-quality multinational managers.* At the same time, perhaps because of the rise in dual-career couples, fewer men are willing to take the assignments.* One solution is to tap the available population of women managers. Freed from local cultural barriers that restrict the use of women managers, multinational companies can select the best people for the job regardless of gender. Because of potentially stronger relational skills, women managers often may be better qualified for international positions than their male colleagues.

Because women expatriates are likely to increase  in number and are as motivated and willing to take international assignments as men, companies must take the necessary steps to ensure that their female expatriates are successful. Companies should ensure that the following steps are implemented:

· Provide mentors: Because women expatriates face more barriers than their male counterparts, mentors can furnish the necessary psychosocial support to face such obstacles.* Mentors can be informal and provide guidance to the female expatriates. Mentors from the home office can supply the necessary support to facilitate reentry to the home office.

· Offer opportunities for interpersonal networks as a form of organizational support: Access to a network of colleagues in similar situation can be a source of social support, contacts, and opportunities. Although it may be difficult for the female expatriates to gain access to the typical male-dominated networks,* the organization can take the necessary steps to develop formal professional networks of female managers.

· Remove sources of barriers: The organization should ensure that female expatriates are treated as fairly and equally as their male counterparts.* The HRM department can be instrumental in this effort. The organization also needs to educate their employees and change stereotypical attitudes toward women expatriates.

· Provide support to cope with dual-career issues: The organization should accept that women expatriates face peculiar and more difficult circumstances regarding their spouses than male counterparts do. It should furnish the necessary counseling to ensure that the couple is aware of the difficulties an international assignment will pose for the family. The company should help the spouse find an equivalent job or provide the necessary counseling.