Work Mobility – Women in Charge of Solutions
By Ann Bouisset & Dina Zavrski-Makaric
Relocating to another country to live and work is a tremendous adventure – an act of taking a risk in the hope of a favourable outcome. Most of us have no idea what lays ahead, and it probably is a good thing, since the pure amount of obstacles to surmount would make us seriously reconsider staying in the comfort of our home town, and the safety of our first job.
The trailing spouse’s fate
Numerous studies show that managing mobility and dual career is tough. It is particularly tough on women who want to realise their potential in a paid career in addition to taking care of society’s human capital (read: children), Popularly called ‘the trailing spouse’, she is often blamed as the reason companies are losing money if an international assignment fails; she is the one pointed at if the family didn’t adjust. And if she is so ambitious that she wants to work while living abroad, she is seen as even more of a hindrance.
Lack of practical solutions
The real reason behind it is that neither governments nor companies have yet figured out how to translate the results of research into practical solutions and policies that really facilitate mobility. Even for those of us who have no family and are pursuing a single career away from home, the challenges are vast. It is as if the results of surveys and research end up in a big black hole, only to resurface a year or so later with more or less the same outcome: international mobility is tough, with professional and personal risks of failure and a favourable outcome is not always likely to be around the corner.
Working on another planet
The problem is complex: working permit, education, tax, pensions and health insurances vary from country to country. No one is really sure if working abroad adds value to one’s career or hinders it. So far it seems that for trailing spouses at least, benefits are more personal than professional because the experience provides them with an open mind rather than a critical advantage on their resumes. Another challenge is how to handle repatriation and integration into the workplace at home after spending years abroad? Sometimes you wonder if working in another country is an equivalent of working on another planet!
In January 2007 a Think Tank Group "Women and Mobility/Dual Career" was established within the EuropeanPWN framework, with three objectives:
- to gather firsthand knowledge of what is it like to manage a career on the move;
- to analyse the information, and
- to use the obtained results to influence decision makers in improving and facilitating mobility for women (and men) with mobile/dual careers.
Our plan
We are currently collecting testimonials from women with experience in international mobility, single or in partnership, working or ‘trailing’. We plan on interviewing HR and senior management of corporate and recruitment companies and ask for their views and suggestions on improving and facilitating international mobility. The final aim is to issue a book/white paper, outlining possible solutions, and presenting in November at a EuropeanPWN networking event.
Finally the search for solutions is in the hands of women who are experiencing the challenges! Who better to contribute and come up with solutions than women themselves; from all walks of life and across the world, who experienced firsthand what it was like to shift boxes and bodies to another country or half way across the world, supporting the partner, bringing up the kids, or on her own in a foreign country justifying lack of social life by the amount of work that ‘still had to be done’.
Interested?
Log onto the EuropeanPWN website and find us under the TTG section: " Women and Mobility/Dual Career: who said women aren’t mobile?" There are lots of interesting articles to read, and once a month we connect globally through a Skype conference.Tell us your story in a testimonial, speak to one of our group members, or suggest practical solutions – any contribution is welcome!
The authors would like to thank Isabelle Jammot and Emmanuelle Muller-Schrapp for their contribution in writing this article.
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