The document discusses the challenges faced by female expatriates working abroad. It notes that while all expatriates face issues like culture shock, language barriers, and loneliness, female expatriates face additional challenges including lack of support from their organizations, limited professional networks, and uncomfortable working environments in countries with patriarchal societies. Individual barriers for women expatriates include balancing dual careers, family responsibilities, child rearing during overseas assignments, and biases in expatriate selection processes. The document recommends HR provide pre-departure cultural training, establish mentorship programs, and offer expanded support to help female expatriates overcome challenges.

1. The Challenges Faced
by Female Expatriate
Ekaghni Dey

2. What is an expatriate?
• The term originates from the Latin words,
ex (out of) and patria (fatherland).
• An expatriate is an employee who is
working and temporarily residing in a
foreign country.
• Dubai is a country where the population is
composed predominantly of expatriates
from countries like India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh and Philippines, with only 20%
of the population made up of citizens. Most
popular expatriate destinations are Spain,
followed by Germany and Britain.

3. THE CHALLENGES FACED BY
EXPATRIATES:
Culture shock
Language barrier
Safety and Security
Local Adjustment
Loneliness and Depression
Expatriation costs

4. The challenges only faced by Female
Expatriates:
• Organisational Barriers: Lack of support-Women
need to prove their worth to the organisation by
staying highly competent and succeeding on their
career ladder. In general, women are not
evaluated and rewarded equally as compared to
male managers
• Limited access to opportunities abroad due to a
lack of female networks in foreign countries
• Uncomfortable working environment: In
countries like Thailand, Japan and India where
women’s are not encouraged working in
management (patriarchal society), where as in
UK, America and Australia where more and more
women are at higher positions in management

5. • Individual barriers: dual-career relationship, family issue, child raising,
length of assignment and individual characteristics and skills. Family
matters are most likely to create a barrier to expatriation, or to cause its
failure
• Expatriate process dominated by biasness and informal selection procedure
• Myths that women are not interested in global assignments automatically
rejects women professional managers

6. How HR can help an expatriate to overcome
their challenges
Pre-departure cultural training programs
Establish a mentor program
Extend support beyond the practical pieces of a relocation.