- Asia-Pacific reports greatest rise
in number of female assignees
- 15% of companies do not send
females to hardship locations
- Female expatriates far less likely
than males to be accompanied by their partners on assignment
- 12% of companies say they have
female expatriates who are single parents
 |
| At the closing ceremony of the 11th Suzhou Sports Meeting, female expatriates performed Taiji, winning applause from the Chinese audience. |
More females are being sent on
international assignments than ever before, but they are far less likely to be
accompanied by a partner than male assignees, according to a new survey by
Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The global survey covers over 100
multinational companies with nearly 17,000 male and female international
assignees.
Companies in Asia-Pacific said they
have 16 times more females on assignment this year than they did in 2001.
Companies in North America have nearly four times as many while those in Europe
have over twice as many.
"The huge growth in the number of
females sent on assignment by Asia-Pacific companies reflects the fact that
businesses in this region, particularly in China, are becoming increasingly
global," said Yvonne Sonsino, Principal at Mercer Human Resource
Consulting.
Over half of the companies (55%) expect
the number of female assignees to continue to increase steadily over the next
five years, while 35% believe the number will remain the same. Just 4% believe
it will decline.
"Going on expatriate placements can be
an important step on the career ladder, and women are increasingly interested in
taking these assignments. Yet many companies' policies are outdated and do not
reflect the changing profile of their expatriates, so assignees' requirements
are dealt with on a case-by-case basis," said Ms Sonsino.
Though the companies surveyed generally
do not have separate policies for female expatriates, the study found some
differentiation in the treatment of male and female assignees. For example, 15%
of companies said they would not send women to hardship locations such as the
Middle East.
PARTNERS
Female expatriates are more likely than
males to leave their partners at home when on assignment. While 57% of companies
said the majority of their male assignees are accompanied by a partner, just 16%
said most of their female expatriates are.
Female expatriates are also less likely
than their male counterparts to have a partner prior to going on assignment.
While 74% of companies said the majority of their male assignees had partners
before going on assignment, only 25% of companies said this was the case amongst
female expatriates.
"Studies suggest partners of successful
women also tend to have high-powered careers. When a woman is offered an
international assignment, their partner may be less willing to make career
concessions to accompany them," said Ms Sonsino. "This may strengthen the need
for companies to have well-defined spouse support policies which include
assistance for the partner in finding work."
SUPPORT FOR PARTNERS
Two-thirds of companies (66%) provide
no incentives or support to help partners settle in the host location, the
survey found. Where support is available, it is usually only given when
specifically requested. For example, only 7% of companies offer partners
information on the local job market, though 37% said they would provide it if
asked.
"An unhappy spouse can often cause an
assignment to fail, so not spending money on support services can be a false
economy for companies. While integrating partners into the local community may
take time and money, it can ultimately pay off," said Ms Sonsino.
SINGLE PARENTS
In the survey, 12% of companies said
they have female expatriates who are single parents, yet only 4% provide
additional support to this group of assignees.
"Expatriate programmes are simply not
designed to cope with providing support for single parents. There is an
increasing need for companies to update their policies in this area," said Ms
Sonsino.
