Expatriate women managers

Women are under-represented within the ranks of expatriate managers. Research on expatriates has predominantely favoured the study of male professionals. The main objective of this research was to analyse how a career is socially constructed in an intercultural setting, how it is reproduced and modified and also which structures are relevant for social agency of western women managers in the Far East. Based on case studies, the meanings that western women managers attribute to their career paths and expatriate experiences are explored. The findings are related to the theoretical framework that draws on Giddens' Theory of Structuration. The research shows that changes in an individual's (career) self-concept are likely to occur when faced with different life circumstances in a new socio-cultural, economic and organisational environment.