The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.
—Ayn Rand
When you are deciding to do or not do something, remember that a few years out, you are going to look back. At that point, never ever be in a situation where you say, “What if?”
—WiSER Anuradha
Have you wondered how to:
- Propel your career?
- Explore the world?
- Learn another language?
- Travel and visit people you know around the world?
- Have 1,000’s of professional connections that you actually know?
- Position your experience more individually?
- Boost your financial prospects?
- Lead the world of tomorrow?
It is all possible through working and living abroad—the most powerful leadership development tool. History is filled with stories of bold explorers, who challenged existing notions and endured hardship to discover new lands and new treasures. Exploring the world is challenging and requires a large dose of courage and vision and a dash of madness. You may find what you are looking for, and you are bound to find the unimaginable.
A powerful approach to increase the percentage of women in leadership is to fast-track their career development through working and living abroad. This is most effective when done in combination with traditional approaches, such as hiring greater percentages of young women; train, develop, coach and promote them into senior roles; and institute policies that support them in these roles.
Research from McKinsey has shown that women are as ambitious as men (McKinsey 2016). Notably, 89 percent of women who voluntarily leave their jobs, for various reasons, want to return to work. Despite their ambition, however, it remains difficult for women to realize their leadership goals. It is important to put a common misconception—that women are not interested in leadership or expatriate roles—to rest. Research dating as far back as the 80’s has shown that men and women are equally interested in international assignments, and that there was no difference between single and married people (Catalyst 2000). Women are not only interested in expatriate roles but are willing to work around the glass border by self-initiating expatriation approximately 30 percent more frequently than men (Vance, McNulty, and Chauderlot 2011). Again, over one-fourth of WiSER self-initiated their international careers in order to expedite their opportunity to progress their careers and work abroad. The growing trend around self-initiated expatriation tells us that women are interested in international assignments and are willing to take considerable risks and “go it alone” in order to secure such opportunities.
While women represent over half the available talent pool, many organizations struggle to retain and grow talented women. Organizations lose 40 percent of their female talent between entry level and VP. In the face of leaking talent pipelines and stagnating percentages of women moving into leadership and international roles, we went a step further to identify barriers preventing women from accessing such roles in order to dismantle them.
Barriers to Advancing Professionally
Barriers slowing or stopping women from moving into leadership roles are real. Domestic female leaders face the glass ceiling in their efforts to move up, the “unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps … women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements” (Federal Glass Ceiling Commission 1995, p. 4). In their efforts to move “out,” female expatriate leaders face an additional barrier, the “glass border,” that prevents women from securing expatriate assignments.
Individual Barriers
Individual barriers can appear as self-limiting beliefs or behaviors that women impose on themselves. These perceived challenges influence how women weigh the pros and cons associated with career progression and the influence of external factors on career progression. Some common individual barriers are: (1) not asking for what they need; (2) not feeling confident unless they are 100 percent prepared; and (3) not promoting their achievements. As WiSER Maxine notes, “women don’t call enough attention to their own achievements. While it would be nice to think that your accomplishments would be recognized by your superiors without you having to call attention to them, this is not the way it works.” Why does a woman shy away from getting her voice in the room? Why does she avoid advocating for what she believes to be inequitable compensation or rewards? Why does she hold back her potential contributions? At a macro level, many of these challenges take root because it is far more challenging to speak up and be heard when you are an outsider.
Another individual barrier that is frequently cited is the lack of work-life balance that may come with a leadership role. As per the GPS survey results, however, 55 percent of respondents do not feel guilty if they have less than “complete” balance. Furthermore, 68 percent shared they do not let pressure from family and friends dictate professional choices and 60 percent shared they have supportive relationships in their professional life. Although the potential lack of work-life balance continues to be an ongoing challenge, our research did not find that it was among the most dominant self-imposed barriers.
Organizational Barriers
Organizational barriers are challenges women perceive the organization is imposing. Whether the organization recognizes these barriers or not, the women’s perception of them can lead to disengagement and to women leaving the leadership pipeline. Three top organizational barriers include (1) implicit bias in recruitment and promotion; (2) linear career pathing; and (3) lack of role models.
First, it remains difficult to recruit people from diverse groups and to leverage the associated benefits. Implicit biases affect how we assess others’ performance and capabilities. For example, researchers at the Ohio State University set out to test the relationship between academic success and job market success. They sent out over 2,000 job applications to entry level positions around the United States using dummy resumes. The results found that women who were academically successful had the lowest success rate, especially when they majored in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as mathematics. The highest achieving men were called back 16 percent of the time, men with the worst grades 11.7 percent of the time, compared to only 9 percent of the highest achieving women. The study’s author suggests that employers value competence and commitment among male applicants, but value likability among female applicants (Shen 2018).
Data relative to both the glass ceiling and the glass border demonstrate that in most countries of the world, women still face biases and prejudices that men do not have to face. For example, studies show that both men and women think men are more competent and hirable than women, even when they have identical qualifications (Dewar 2018). Women have to prove themselves more than men do to be noticed, and to get credited for their achievements. Even when women prove themselves, men get promoted and expatriated more often and earlier in their careers. In our most recent research women perceive the biases in the performance evaluation system as a major barrier. In fact, 58 percent believe they are not paid the same as their male peers for similar performance in the same role. Additionally, 43 percent believe women are not routinely considered for promotions. The GPS survey results revealed that 45 percent of the women feel they need more education and qualifications than male peers to be considered for promotion.
So, what can be done to combat this bias against diverse groups? First, define clear selection criteria for recruitment or promotion purposes, and for performance evaluations. For example, there is a widespread myth that “women don’t want these roles” and often times are not even asked if they are interested in certain opportunities. It is simply assumend they don’t. By defining clear standards beforehand, the risk of bias slipping in is considerably reduced.
Even as companies say they want to develop the careers of their female high-potential employees through mentorship programs or leadership workshops, many are still not encouraging them to take on high-profile global roles. Some firms assume that family responsibilities or obligations are obstacles holding back women in their careers, but not men in theirs,
says Emrich, vice president at Catalyst, a global non-profit organization that promotes women in the workplace (Dizik 2016).
Second, the majority of career pathing models are linear, resulting in sourcing candidates around their early 30’s for management as well as international opportunities. This model is more disadvantageous to women because this decade of life often coincides with family planning considerations. If the traditional linear career pathing is used, it is critical for organizations to offer strong support, such as comprehensive family support policies, to retain talented women in talent pipelines (Cohen 2017). Another opportunity is for organizations to seek talent at various intervals and various levels in the organization. The WiSER recommend overcoming this barrier by sharing the value you contribute while calling attention to your unique needs and considering the demands involved in the role.
Third, few women hold senior-level roles, and even fewer hold senior-level international roles. Although it may be challenging to identify female role models, it is nevertheless important, because these role models can ease your doubts about accepting a senior role and possible serve as an inspiration. They are living proof that women can meet the challenges involved in such a role. In a broader sense, whether your role model is male or female, they can provide much-needed support in difficult times and smooth your path to a successful expatriate role. WiSER Julie Anne experienced this during her first international assignment in Peru. “They happened to have had the only female general manager in Latin America [who] was running the Peru operation,” she recalled and noted that the woman’s success in this role significantly increased her own chances of securing a leadership position. In the absence of role models within your organization, we recommend that you seek a role model through a professional network, or on the Board of (non-profit) organizations in which you have an interest.
Transitional Barriers
Transitional barriers demonstrate if women believe they are prepared for a transition into a next level role. It identifies how women will deal with change, challenges, uncertainty, and stress during critical points when they may move up or out of an organization. Top transitional barriers include (1) lack of a robust network; (2) lack of resilience from negative feedback.
Women continue to indicate they lack the robust networks critical for career progression. Support networks, formal or informal, are foundational to a successful professional life. An optimal method to enhance organizational influence, control of life, manage change and adapt more quickly to organizational change. They also help reduce stress and increase work satisfaction. Having mentors and sponsors in your network helps to navigate organizational politics and can be a powerful boost to career advancement. Your network determines, in part, the size of your paycheck.
When transitioning into a new role, change is a given and resilience is a must. Where there is change, there is an increased chance of both opportunities and mistakes. As 99 percent of successes derive from failures, it is counterproductive to view mistakes as a negative thing (Schoemaker 2011). Embracing change is admirable and among the respondents, there is a strong affinity for change. In fact, 78 percent responded that they thrive on change. Yet, 46 percent find it difficult to bounce back quickly when they receive negative feedback, and 57 percent find it challenging to appear confident unless they are 100 percent prepared. Therefore, it is important for women to fight the tendency to focus all of the attention on the risk associated with a new role, initiative, venture, or investment. With mistakes come key learnings, more experience, and growth.
International Barriers
When seeking international roles, there are additional barriers women may encounter. Organizations continue to overlook women for expatriate roles for a variety of reasons including a false assumption that there will be a lack of acceptance and lack of safety in the host country.
A misconception working against women is the belief that women won’t be accepted in the host country. This bias has little basis in fact. The truth is, even women assigned to traditionally patriarchal regions have managed to succeed. “What I will say is I am currently working in the Middle East, and I have never worked out here before,” WiSER Annette observed. “I was a little bit concerned about it, and I have to say it’s the most refreshing place to work.” She indicated that people with whom she worked were pleasant and cooperative. In the face of longstanding, and mostly negative, perceptions of the Middle East, she found that many men in the region were surprisingly receptive to female expatriates. Overall, gender does not have a significant bearing on how expatriates perform in their jobs, and the idea that host-country males will not accept women is patently false. Interestingly, many WiSER indicated that nationality was more frequently an issue of contention than gender was. “I don’t think that being a woman was a disadvantage,” said WiSER Elsa I., who worked in Latin America. “I think in fairness, [the] bigger disadvantage was the American thing.”
Based on research by Adler, one of the first researchers in the field of expatriate women, “women more often experience greater difficulty commanding respect from their home country peers than from colleagues abroad, even where the cultural differences between home and host country were large” (Shortland and Altman 2011). While a host culture may regard women as naturally subordinate, local males do not necessarily put foreign women in the same category as local women. First of all, they see the expatriate woman as a senior-level professional who is deserving of respect. Secondly, they see her as a representative of her culture and/or nation. It is only then that they regard her as a woman. In many cases, they simply don’t know how to classify a foreign woman who holds a position of authority. “Women expats weren’t put in the same category as their own wives, their daughters, or sisters or whatever,” said WiSER Anne, who lived and worked in Somalia. “We were kind of [in] a separate category.” This perception was shared by WiSER Alexis, who lived and worked in Central Europe. “I am a great novelty in Prague because I’m the CEO, I’m a woman, and I’m an Australian—and maybe because I’m a foreigner they let me get away with more than they would if I was a local,” she said. The unique position that female expatriates enjoy in a host country can even work to their advantage, as WiSER Carrie discovered during an assignment in South Korea. “There are so few Korean women holding those … roles … that they didn’t really know what to expect,” she said.
If I had been a Korean man, there [would have been] tons of rules, societal rules that they would know they have to follow … But because I was a foreigner, and because I was a woman, I just told them, “Well, the good thing is that there are no rules, and we’ll just make them up as we go.”
This does not suggest that women working abroad are unlikely to encounter difficulties and restrictions, however. Any expatriate, male or female, should be aware of safety issues. There are definitely certain nations that are rated as top locations for female expatriates because there are fewer safety and security issues. Different cultural codes may require women to modify their behavior, or to find different ways of collaborating. For instance, WiSER Hanan was invited to lunch by her manager in Dubai and was surprised when she entered the staff canteen. “For me, it was the first time that I saw a canteen where there was a females only area,” she recalled. “So, we sat in the area that was just for females and, then, there was an area for mixed or for men, but mainly the females sat alone.” Hanan realized that impromptu meetings over a cup of coffee with her manager would be difficult, and that she had to find other ways to interact with him. The key to success is to try and prevent situations that are likely to make your gender an issue. The WiSER have demonstrated that women are equally qualified in various roles across the world.
How to Break Through the Glass Ceiling and/or the Glass Border
The basic prerequisite to be considered for any professional opportunity is a combination of having the right skills, working hard and performing very well. “I’ve always taken my job seriously and … to the best of my ability,” WiSER Stacy noted. “I do think that more opportunities will open up … if you show that you can execute and deliver on the job that you have.” WiSER Erica had a similar experience. “By the time I was transferred on my first international assignment, I was managing a business with 12 countries reporting in,” she said.
I knew the products. I understood the company, and I think they felt that it would be good for me to go to a bigger market with a different culture and a very different healthcare system. They were right. I learned a lot, became a better and stronger leader … it was a good experience.
Likewise, WiSER Maria was selected for an expanded role because of her performance in the job she held. “I was recognized as a good performer. Given that I was in a global role, most of the people from the six geographic zones that we have knew about me,” she recalled. “They had had two or three different persons in the role without success, and when they heard I was available, they immediately jumped on it, because I had the perfect background.”
WiSER Argentina shared that she grew up in a highly disciplined environment, which she came to appreciate as she set out to develop her career. “My mother came from a tribal group called the Shangaana, in the south of Mozambique,” she explained. “The men are warriors, and the women are really the ones who take care of the homes … So, it is a very hard-working group of people, and that’s where I came from.” Despite the hard work, however, these people maintained a positive attitude. “People laugh loud. They speak … they enjoy, and they share and meddle in each other’s [lives], but pure hard work is the key that drives everything.” WiSER Argentina attributes her rise to senior-level positions to this ingrained work ethic and the discipline of those early days which allowed her to face the challenges of future (professional) life.
Assuming that you have nailed the prerequisite level of high performance, the WiSER offered some professional advice to overcome barriers in order to secure either a leadership or an international role.
Make Your Intentions and Successes Known
The inability of many women to break through the glass ceiling, or the glass border, has much to do with a perennial reluctance to speak up and inform others of their career aspirations and successes. “I think that we don’t necessarily do a good enough job of just saying. “If an international assignment is what you think you want … go for it, explore it … The worst thing that anyone can say is, ‘no’,” said WiSER Meredith. It is not in your interest to sit back and wait until you are noticed. You may be waiting a long, long time—or worse yet, you may never find yourself on the short list for an international opportunity.
It is best to be explicit about your goals, and to clarify what you need in order to be successful. “I think many people do not get where they want to be because they do not ‘speak up,’” said WiSER Argentina. “They are too afraid to try. They do not want to take the risk of a ‘no.’” In taking a more assertive attitude at her organization, WiSER Nina said she followed the example of her male colleagues. “I realized that men are much better in saying what they want than women,” she observed. “I also realized that you have to say what you want, and not assume others know.” She recalled that, when she learned about an exptriate assignment in London, she expressed an interest in the job. “I said that very early on, and everybody said, ‘Oh, you are too young,’” she recalled. They pointed to her lack of experience and her lack of familiarity with the organization as a whole. “I said, ‘Well, so what—I will learn,’” she said. “I said it several times, and then, I wrote a letter to our secretary general, and I said next time the job is available, I am interested.” Eventually, she did get the coveted position in London.
The difference in gender communication styles is highlighted by a humorous anecdote that WiSER Tuulia shared. She recalled that she was talking to some friends about mountain climbing, and she asked them if they had reached a particular peak that was considered rather daunting. WiSER Tuulia noted that one woman, who had climbed that peak on two expeditions, only briefly mentioned this fact. At the same time, her male friend, who had climbed the peak just once, described the adventure in great detail and emphasized the risks involved. Finally, another person involved in the conversation began to laugh and said, “Did you notice the lady has been there twice, and the guy is just screaming about it?” The moral of the story is, if you want to be heard, you may need to flex your communication style to ensure that your message is heard.
Although you may be committed to speaking up for yourself, it often proves challenging to own success and demand recognition—and cultural norms sometimes get in the way. In some Eastern cultures, the view that a woman should be seen and not heard remains quite prevalent. As WiSER Alicia indicated, however, speaking up is a challenge that we can meet. “Growing up, I was very quiet, very reserved, so very, very shy,” she told us. “I was a middle child; I wouldn’t even speak to an adult, wouldn’t do any public speaking, nothing. And to this day, I am much more reserved.” In her professional life, however, she encountered strong managers who insisted she learn to express her views. “I would never speak up in meetings,” she recalled. “I would go to them after the meeting, and I had one manager tell me, ‘I’m not going to listen to you unless you have enough guts to say it in the meeting.’” While such experiences were uncomfortable, they pushed her to develop her ability to make herself heard, to the benefit of her career.
Leverage the Career Planning Process
It’s never too early to begin setting professional goals and managing your career. Creating a career plan may seem daunting, but you can demystify the process with the help of an effective coach. Once you have created your career plan, leverage it to create visibility for your successes, and to promote the ways in which your work supports the organization in its efforts to achieve its goals. WiSER Lindsay emphasized the need to develop a career plan, and she revealed that, when she took her first HR director role, her boss insisted that she develop one. “What’s a career plan?” she recalled thinking. “I found it really hard, and I clearly remember to this day going into my new management director’s office and saying, ‘Steve, I really need your help because I don’t really know what I’m doing here.’” At that point her manager helped her plot out the plan on a whiteboard. The exercise helped her to consider her career aspirations. She started with a goal and reverse-engineered the path needed to get there. With her manager’s help, she considered sectors, countries, roles, and experiences that she required, such as acquisition experience. “It’s amazing,” she said. “I could take that ‘career plan’ out of the cover and show it to you, and you could see I have ticked off everything that I said I would do.” She added, “No, I haven’t done it in the right order, but pretty much everything that I said I’d do, I’ve done during that time.”
As noted, career management can also serve as a vehicle to increase your organizational visibility and promote your wins. “Something I absolutely insist on is that I always make sure I have goals every single year,” said WiSER Laura. She added that these goals and performance objectives were always aligned to the organization and the manager she was supporting. Furthermore, she insisted that these goals and objectives were reviewed at least twice a year. Although she realizes that this approach is not “rocket science,” she found it to work exceedingly well. “If my manager or whoever at that time wasn’t willing to take the time to do that with me, I would do it,” she said. “And I would religiously go through and say, ‘Okay, this is what I’ve accomplished this year, this is what went well, and this is what didn’t go well.” She would then focus on two or three areas of potential improvement and develop a strategy to accomplish this. She indicated that this process went further when she sat with supervisors—and even managers above her supervisor—to carefully review goals, risks, and accomplishments. “Even though some of the time I am sure these people would roll their eyes and say, ‘Oh, it’s her again’ … I make sure that they know I have a vision,” she added. “I have a plan, and this is where I want to be.”
It is important to realize that career planning is not just about securing promotions and climbing the career ladder. When setting professional goals, other factors, such as personal satisfaction, personal sensibilities, and personal values, should be taken into consideration. Once you have decided that you want to pursue a leadership or international role, follow your goals and don’t give up. Know what you want, communicate it, and pursue it.
Take Creative Paths to Lasso a Leadership or Expatriate Role
Imagine stepping stones in a pond that lead to the other side. Some may prefer to cross by using the biggest, most visible, stones. Others may explore those stones that sit slightly below the surface, zigzagging across the pond, but still manage to get to the other side. Meanwhile, some might be halfway across the pond when they realize that they need to backtrack and take a different path in order to get to the other side. If getting to the other side is your goal, there is no wrong way to get there. Keep your eyes on the prize.
Consider volunteering for an especially challenging assignment, perhaps a project or joining work streams, that needs someone to spearhead success. Strong performance and the willingness to step up when others are not will give you visibility, and could result in a fantastic opportunity. Even when results aren’t ideal, skills can still be learned. WiSER Kelli indicated that volunteering for certain tasks enabled her to gain experience that made her a viable candidate for promotion down the road. “It really wasn’t even my responsibility and my role, but I stepped [in] and said … ‘I can work on that project,’” she said. “Then, when you’ve gotten some experience, of course, you are the one that they turn to then in the future.”
Some options to get an expatriate role may include accepting a short-term international project in order to demonstrate your global agility. WiSER Tuulia revealed that she was originally offered a four-month assignment to use her expertise from the Finland office and apply it to the development of similar standards and processes in the German office. She accepted the four-month assignment and several years later still remained in Germany. Although it didn’t start as an expatriate assignment, her successes over a brief period of time expanded the opportunity. Some WiSER have gone so far as to accept a position below their current level to gain international experience. “I did very well for myself in my various jobs,” recalled WiSER Janice. “I lived in Atlanta, and then, I decided I needed more international experience on my resume, because I didn’t really have any. Even though my clients were big firms, I never had big international clients.” Ultimately, WiSER Janice agreed to accept a position as a director even though she had already secured vice president status. Although the job was a step down in terms of position and proved to be a lateral move in terms of salary, it opened the door to an exciting overseas assignment in London within two years.
The important message the WiSER conveyed, is to be open to creative career pathing, especially when looking to work abroad. Otherwise, you severely limit your options. WiSER Andrea indicated that people who are too specific in their goals often get frustrated when they don’t secure the position they want. “So, I always try to keep it very flexible,” she added. By considering a wider variety of appropriate options, she found that she was more likely to find a position that was satisfying.
Look Before You Leap
Even if working abroad has not been your lifelong plan, it can be for you. Despite their success in international roles, some of the WiSER revealed that they did have doubts about their decision to accept an expatriate assignment. However, “This doesn’t mean that you should give into those doubts,” WiSER Kelli said. Before accepting an international role, it is important to (1) identify a role that is a good fit, (2) determine if the expatriate role is with a female friendly employer or environment, (3) consider implications of expatriating solo, with a trailing spouse, and/or other family members. First, it is important to identify a geography and organizational climate that is a fit for you. It is essential to do your homework in order to truly understand the market and other relevant variables, including safety, living conditions, schools, proximity to daily activities, and so forth. Think it through from all angles, such as professional implications, family considerations, and personal motivations. Thoroughly researching a potential assignment will prepare you to manage the challenges. Download the Women Leaders Toolkit from the BEP Publishing website for additional tools and resources.
WiSER Elsa L. cautions people considering an international assignment to think deeply about the implications of moving to a wholly new environment. “If you are coming from a small … community, and you suddenly find yourself in Sao Paolo, with 16 million people, you have to think about the fact that you are going [somewhere] … very different from what you’ve known,” she said. WiSER Diane, who worked for various NGOs in Asia added:
You are going to work in countries—maybe—that are in conflict, or you are going to be working in places where there is extreme poverty. So, the sort of person who is attracted to that, by personality, is unlikely to be someone who wants a clean break from the suburbs, or catches the same bus to work every day, and has gone through a very clear pathway after [she] finished school.
Second, if you are considering an employer who provides international opportunities, it is also important to determine whether they are female friendly. WiSER Nathalie K. noted that she works for just such an organization. “I’ve been very lucky in that sense, that throughout my career, I’ve had great line managers who always wanted to see me grow and develop—always open to listen, always looking for new opportunities,” she said. “So, the moment I said, ‘Can I go to Spain?’ they listened.” She added that her managers not only offered encouragement, but also asked searching questions that led her to think deeply about her decisions. In her female-friendly firm, she encountered a corporate culture where managers encouraged employees to identify their goals and then helped them to achieve these goals. There are various hubs such as Fairygodboss and Inhersight that effectively aggregate information on how strong an employer is when it comes to being female friendly.
Third, WiSER Joanne stressed the importance of thinking through every aspect of a potential move. The emerging trend in expatriation highlights that more single women are taking international roles. As a single woman, a potential challenge is building new relationships. WiSER Fiona recalled: “I was in a meeting with probably 12 senior women out of some 400 scientists and only two among us were in a functioning relationship and that’s the toll that it takes on women.”
If you have a family that will come with you, “you need to think whether or not this is a good move for your family because it does change and impact everyone in the family,” WiSER Joanne said. “This isn’t just about your position or your move.” Without familial support, your chances of succeeding will be undermined. “If your family is absolutely against moving with you, don’t” WiSER Martine said. Many expatriate women have partners and or families. Among the WiSER, 82 percent were either married or had a serious partner. Only 12 percent of the WiSER were divorced, which is lower than many national divorce rate statistics. The WiSER who had partners clearly indicated that their partner’s support was seminal to their success abroad. Many went on to share stories of how their partners—many of whom had a successful career in their home country—chose to stay at home or back burner their career for their duration abroad. Among WiSER with a trailing spouse, 58 percent reported that their partner worked in the host country (most often found on their own), and 42 percent said that their partner either put his career on hold to take care of the family in the host country or did not find work.
It is dawning on many international organizations that facilitating dual-career options will increase their international talent pool and contribute to the willingness of their employees to consider career options requiring international mobility. Sudden changes in professional life such as the transition to stop working and become a full-time husband, or even stay-at-home father are difficult at best. This is further compounded because trailing-spouse environments are still dominated by women. Considering the criticality of managing dual careers and the impact that expatriating will have on a dual-career household, it is very important to discuss the consequences with your partner when you are the “leading lady.” As WiSER Joanne thoughtfully discussed, “We always made the decision on how our careers would go, which one we would follow, and whatever we choose … we have to have that constant conversation because it’s very, very hard in most families for the male to take a second chair after they have been the first chair for all their lives. So, you have to just manage to have an open dialogue so that you maintain a good relationship in that conversation. Whether or not working in the host country for your trailing spouse is an option, the most important thing you can do is to ensure that behind you, there still is a “great man,” who supports you.”
If dual career options are not available, determine if there are different types of work that may be permitted within the host country. Sometimes it is difficult to get a work permit to work for a large organization, in the host country, but a trailing partner may be able to start a small business or do some consulting. Groups like the United Nations sponsor workers in various nations because of their global status. Furthermore, there are a growing number of opportunities to work remotely or for a virtual organization, such as online universities. Male trailing spouse, Alan, shared that he is sometimes asked why he wanted to go off to foreign parts, trailing in his wife’s professional wake. His answer:
Because it is the best darn fun you can legally have, that’s why. Learning another language and culture is a big opportunity for you and the family to broaden your horizons. See how other country’s people live, work and play. Your children will benefit a thousand-fold from the experience, in many ways not possible back home.
WiSER Fiona concluded that, if one wants to succeed on an international assignment, you need to “be curious and have a sense of humor.” As WiSER Magi shared, “the decision about whether or not to work and live overseas should ultimately be a personal choice … and will be fulfilling when aligned with values.”
It’s a Wrap!
Although women are ready and willing to take on leadership and expatriate roles, there is a false assumption that they are not interested in such roles. Barriers to women’s professional advancement can be segmented into individual, organizational, transitional, and international barriers. Barriers that contribute to stalling women from moving into either leadership or international roles can be overcome by performing well, sharing both career aspirations and successes, leveraging the career planning process, and taking creative career paths to get to your goal. As per WiSER Lillian, “If expatriating is something that interests you then … nothing should stop you from doing what you want to do.”
New beginnings always present new opportunities accompanied with new challenges. Therefore, it is important to make sure the country and organization are a fit for you and for others accompanying you. The WiSER we interviewed described their international experience as a period that deeply enriched their lives. “Yes, I would do it again,” said WiSER Allyson, with a touch of humor. “It’s like childbirth. You put the bad out of your mind, and you only remember all the good of it.” WiSER Tuulia agreed. “In retrospect, the challenges and difficulties were a simple nuisance,” she said. “It wasn’t the end of the world … I think people have more regrets about the things they don’t do than the ones they do.”