When expatriation means 'Follow that woman!'

Abstract

There is broad acceptance in the academic and practitioner literature that the partners of expatriates play a vital role in contributing to the success or failure of expatriate assignments. Adjusting to life in the host country is acknowledged as being potentially more difficult for partners than for the expatriate workers. Thus, the importance of organisational support for these partners is also recognised. Male accompanying partners, when unable to work, face a number of unique challenges, which include isolation and ostracism. The results of the study reported here reveal minimal organisational support for partners and minimal assistance for these partners to find work once overseas. The findings of interviews with female repatriates highlight the importance of work in either a paid or voluntary capacity for accompanying partners and confirm the reports in the literature about the isolation and ostracism which male accompanying partners experience.