Lives of female expatriates: work‐life balance concerns

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze female expatriates' work‐life conflicts and enrichments which take place during the international assignment.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 20 interviews were carried out with female expatriates. The interview data were content analyzed.

Findings

The findings indicate that females have experiences of conflicts but also enrichment during international assignments. Both aspects – the effect of the personal life on the working life and vice versa – are shown to be important for females. Life and career stages appear to be integral to these experiences. This study utilizes four metaphors – airport, seesaw, stage, and harbor – as main headings to represent female expatriates' experiences in balancing work and their personal lives.

Originality/value

This study expands our understanding of the experiences of female expatriates from the work‐life balance perspective and contributes by analyzing both the work‐life conflicts as well as the enrichment which takes place, broadening the view of private life to include aspects other than the family.

Citation

Mäkelä, L., Suutari, V. and Mayerhofer, H. (2011), "Lives of female expatriates: work‐life balance concerns", Gender in Management, Vol. 26 No. 4, pp. 256-274. https://doi.org/10.1108/17542411111144283