The expatriate career transition and women managers’ experiences

Women are under‐represented in the ranks of expatriate managers and research on expatriates, though formally gender‐neutral, has been heavily weighted towards the study of male professionals, thereby reinforcing the image of expatriates as male, middle aged, married with children. What most research has in common is an individualistic, psychological approach to the study of expatriate experience. A focus on (change) processes on individual and organisational level draws our attention towards career theory. This paper presents a theoretical framework that conceptualises expatriate careers as a career transition that triggers individual and social structuration processes. It reviews the key findings of research on Western women managers in Hong Kong and gives insight into the experiences of expatriate women managers in a new socio‐cultural, economic and organisational environment.