The dual‐career couple: Female expatriates and male trailing spouses

Dual‐income and dual‐career couples are becoming an increasingly important segment of professional managers in the United States. The difficulties associated with addressing the unique needs of these dual couples is accentuated when attempting to relocate one of the members of the couple overseas. Referral rates for expatriation have increased and the failure rate of those expatriates who are relocated continues to be high. This article examines the issues international human resource executives face when expatriating female managers and how multinational corporations (MNCs) can proactively address the concerns of both the expatriate managers and their trailing spouses.