(courtesy Runzheimer International and Relocation Journal & Real Estate News)

     

      Many US companies today are concerned that sending female employees on an overseas assignment poses some sort of risk. But two international relocation experts say this concern is unfounded and stems from some common myths about female expatriates.

      Myth #1: Overseas, local males treat American females very much like they treat local females.

     It is true that men in other cultures often deal with their own women in ways that many Americans find objectionable, so it's understandable that we wouldn't want our own women to endure such treatment. But intercultural training experts Cornelius Grove and Willa Hallowell say that's seldom a worry.

     Writing in an article that appeared in Runzheimer Reports on Relocation, Grove and Hallowell noted that, "Our research, like that of others, has found that in the preponderance of cases, local males do not mentally classify a foreign woman in the same way as they classify local women. In fact, expatriate professional females have an advantage in being outside the locals' normal classification system."

     Myth #2: Local male coworkers create performance barriers for the female expatriate.

      Not so, say Grove and Hallowell. "Our interviews reveal an ironically
different story. It turns out that many women who encounter significant barriers are morelikely to complain about their fellow expat male coworkers.

      These women tell us that American males who have been on overseas assignments for many yearsactually erect the highest barriers. The women also say that local coworkers can be very supportive of female expatriates if their respect and goodwill is carefully cultivated.

     Single, young and American . . .

      Grove and Hallowell point to three attributes that are more likely to be a liability overseas than being female -- being single, being young, and being  culturally American.

      Being single is a liability because both local people and fellow expats often don't know how to comfortably fit a single person into their social lives. Regarding youth, let's recall that youthfulness is valued in American culture, whereas the tradition and wisdom associated with age is more valued in other cultures, especially non-Western cultures.

      Regarding the third point, any number of cultural experts have noted that traits associated with success in the US business culture -- task orientation, focus on time, competitiveness, and directness -- are consciously disapproved by some cultures.

      In fact, the traits generally associated with females in the US -- consensus building, relationship orientation, greater sensitivity to non-verbal cues -- are traits valued in many non-Western cultures. And this, according to Grove and Hallowell, gives female assignees a definite advantage.

      For further information on intercultural training, contact Cornelius Grove & Associates in Brooklyn, New York at (718) 492-1896, or by e-mail at grovewell@mcimail.com. To obtain a complete copy of their article, including 10 guidelines for females on overseas assignments, contact Runzheimer  International at (414) 767-2200.