Swedish female expatriate managers: barriers and issues
experienced prior and during international assignments

Abstract: The number of female managers being sent on international assignments is
substantially lower than the number of males. Research indicates that
females experience barriers in their careers that are not faced by their
male colleagues, and overcoming “hidden” or less apparent barriers to
managerial fairness is not always easy. There also exist myths in both
academic literature and among practitioners regarding females as
expatriates. Some of these myths are that women are not interested in
taking on international assignments and that some host countries are
unwilling to accept female expatriates. This study has been conducted in
order to separate facts from myths and to shed light on the role of Swedish
women in international management. The purpose of the study is specifically
to gain a deeper understanding of Swedish female expatriate managers’
experiences of barriers and issues before and during international
assignments. It investigates the topic from a female expatriate’s
perspective. The study takes a qualitative approach and is based on case
studies of five Swedish female expatriates. The findings about barriers
prior to international assignments indicate that “the glass ceiling” exists
and factors contributing to its existence can be the type of industry and
women themselves. “The glass border” also appears to occur, especially in
male dominated industries. Moreover, gender stereotypes can exist and
affect female expatriates. Dual-career couples may also play as a barrier
as men tend to have a higher salary and their careers are commonly
prioritized which might hinder women from taking on international
assignments. Findings further reveal that companies can be reluctant to
send women on international assignment because of: country and its culture,
a male-dominated business environment, high status of an assignment,
children and women themselves doubting their own capabilities. During
international assignments women can face prejudice depending on country,
religion and the age of the female expatriate. On international assignments
women are forced to conduct some lifestyle choices in order to make an
international assignment function for example, to restrict their social and
personal life. Mentorship also proves important during an international
assignment. Moreover, on international assignments women might
experience “tokenism” and become isolated, however, findings reveal that it
does not affect the outcome of their assignments. Networks are important
during international assignments and female expatriates have no issues in
creating networks, nonetheless, it can be harder to create networks in some
countries than others, it also appears to be easier for men than women to
create networks as it comes more natural for them. Female expatriates
generally do not experience any difficulties in adjusting to international
environments.