Leaders, Let Women Go on Global Assignments

According to a survey from Brookfield last year, women on assignment accounted for only 25% of all assignees; Copeland & Meckman put that statistic at 16%. Yet the desire by female employees to obtain global assignments is just as high as men’s desire for global mobility. 

Last spring, I spoke to Sundae Bean on her Expat Happy Hour broadcast to discuss this disparity, and with International Women’s Day on March 8, it is a good time to revisit the issue. Not enough has changed in regard to considering women for global assignments, and a lot of the problem has to do with assumptions.

Assumption One: Women Don’t Want to Go

The data belies that assumption. Professional women are as equally likely to want to go on assignments as men.

Business leaders are making the assumption that women don’t want to leave home or go on assignment. In some cases, the application of one’s own desires is overlaid onto the potential assignee. “I wouldn’t do that, so why would she?” In other cases, the decision makers think that women are not interested in an international assignment for various reasons. Maybe it’s in the mindset of the business leader, rationalizing that perhaps the candidate has family at home and a partner with a very good job. This assumption is being made without really having a discussion with the potential candidate.

Assumption Two: Women Aren’t as Effective

Business leaders may be assuming that women are not as effective in assignments as their male counterparts. According to recent research, women are as effective as men in international assignments. Women also derive as much satisfaction from the experience, so that they become more loyal and retainable employees. In other words, they are worthy of the investment.

Lack of Diversity Has an Impact

In addition to these assumptions – because there remains a lack of female leadership in most companies – there are few, if any, women advocating for other women to be given the opportunity to take on a global assignment. An article in WSJ pointed out that women earn more degrees than men but less than 6% of CEO roles filled by women. The catch-22 here is that more diversity in the C-suite leads to more diversity in global mobility. C-suite leaders are often chosen based on the fact that they’ve had a global assignment. Global assignments make employees more valuable. 

Why Global Mobility Matters for Women

People who go on global assignments gain visibility and stature in their organizations. They are more likely to be promoted and more likely to be seen as capable of leading a department or team, which in turn, puts them in line for future promotions. Companies are recognizing the need to get more women into global assignments because they need better diversity in their long-term leadership pipelines. 

To change the assumptions that are holding women back from receiving global assignments, organizations must:

• Establish requirements to ensure diversity in their global mobility programs
• Offer an assignment to female candidates who are just as qualified as their male counterparts
• Invest in diversity programs and policies
• Provide opportunities for women to gain cultural knowledge and training to improve their competitiveness for assignments
• Offer mentoring programs to develop their leadership pipelines

What Can Women Do to Elevate Themselves?

Raise your hand and let your manager know that you are interested in an international assignment. Develop mentor relationships; try to find someone within your company that will help you develop your leadership potential. Focus on those attributes and strengths that women bring to the table: flexibility, problem-solving and interpersonal skills, inclusivity with co-workers, and a collaborative demeanor.

___

As Managing Director of Living Abroad, Cathy has been involved with the core service, the International Relocation Center, for more than 20 years. Cathy oversaw the successful transition of hard copy to the current online service under the Craighead name. Current clients of Living Abroad are many of the Fortune 1000 and government organizations. Cathy is co-facilitator of the Forum for Expatriate Management New York City Chapter, which brings mobility thought leaders to the corporate community through monthly meetings.

Looking for a solution to help all of your employees develop the cultural intelligence skills they need to be successful on global assignments? Living Abroad’s Culture Coach Online is a powerful learning platform designed to prepare users to understand the impact of culture on business and personal relationships, and to learn how to improve their own cultural agility.

The Culture Coach Online guides users along learning tracks customized for their topical and cultural needs. Users will learn how to better navigate social and business situations in each location, and how to adapt to other cultures with more ease. Most important, users will receive comprehensive insight into their own individual cultural preferences.

Completing the Culture Coach Online program will better equip your employees to deal with individuals who are different from them – whether abroad or at home. Learn more.