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International adjustment of female vs male business expatriates. A replication study in Switzerland

Xavier Salamin (Chair of Human Resources and Organization, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland, AND, Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, Fribourg, Switzerland)
Eric Davoine (Chair of Human Resources and Organization, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland, AND, Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, Fribourg, Switzerland)

Journal of Global Mobility

ISSN: 2049-8799

Article publication date: 8 June 2015

1649

Abstract

Purpose

Reasons for women’s underrepresentation in international assignments include stereotypical assumptions within organizations about their ability to adjust abroad and more broadly a lack of trust from the corporate headquarters. Female expatriates’ adjustment may strongly vary depending on the host country and on host-country nationals’ attitudes toward them. Yet up until today, very few studies have examined female expatriate adjustment in a single and non-Asian host country. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by comparing the cross-cultural adjustment of male and female expatriates in Switzerland.

Design/methodology/approach

This study replicates Selmer and Leung’s (2003a) study design in order to compare adjustment of male and female expatriates working in multinational companies in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Based on 152 valid questionnaires collected, the authors performed a multivariate analysis of covariance and further analyses of covariance to compare male and female expatriate adjustment.

Findings

The authors find that female expatriates have significantly higher interaction and work adjustment levels than their male counterparts, while no significant differences between men and women were observed in terms of general adjustment. These findings in a European context are consistent with those of Selmer and Leung in an Asian context.

Originality/value

Very few studies to date have examined the adjustment of female expatriates in a western host-country context, despite the fact that host-country cultural norms might strongly influence women’s experiences. The research brings new empirical evidence about cross-cultural adjustment of female and male expatriates in a western location. Contrary to persistent stereotypical assumptions, results emphasize again that women are able to adjust better or at least as well as their male counterparts.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This publication benefited from the support of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES – Overcoming vulnerability: life course perspectives, which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The authors are grateful to the Swiss National Science Foundation for its financial assistance, and to IP6 colleagues, in particular, Professor Nicky Le Feuvre (University of Lausanne) for their valuable comments on earlier versions of this paper.

Citation

Salamin, X. and Davoine, E. (2015), "International adjustment of female vs male business expatriates. A replication study in Switzerland", Journal of Global Mobility, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 183-212. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-12-2014-0055

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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