Women in the Global Business World
Identifying the myths By Julianna Reed and Richard Cook

The role of women in the international business world is still developing, with some organisations, in particular, the large multinational ones from Europe and North America at the forefront. However, being a successful female international assignee can still prove to be problematical. Women who are rising in the organisation and have an international assignment on the career horizon can find themselves overwhelmed by feelings of excitement and uneasiness about their new international role. It is easy to be overly influenced by the myths, stereotypes, and perceptions of the way women are treated and characterised in other countries, both in the field of business and outside of it. It is important therefore for the women expatriate to decipher fact from fiction and truth from myth, in regards to the working environment in which she hopes to thrive.

All expatriates need to face and learn how to work with cultural differences. However, female expatriates have an added issue to face and work with; this is the attitude to the role of women in society within the cultures that they are working with. We will now explore some important things to consider in regards to behaviour codes, cultural perceptions, interactions and the roles of women within the workplace.

It is important to ask some uncomfortable questions about the role of women in cultures that you are intending to work with in order to begin to construct a sense of comfort and gain practical knowledge that can assist you to adopt successfully to your international role. As Nancy Adler highlighted in International Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour, it can be beneficial to ask "societally unacceptable, and therefore publicly un-ask-able, questions", such as.
  • "Is it true that as a woman I cannot succeed in the Middle East?"
  • "Will I insult their culture if I lead the negotiating team in Saudi Arabia?"
  • "Is it true that our company's expansion into South Asia will be jeopardised if I head up the project?"
  • "Even if I succeed in getting the CEO to send me to Korea, will I fail once I am there? I have heard that Korean businessmen just ignore women; that they would never take a business woman seriously."
  • "Will our German joint venture partners be annoyed when they see that my company has sent me as the lead engineer?"
  • "Will men in Latin America really think that my company has sent me as some kind of sexual plaything? What do I need to do to get Latin men to respect me?" (Adler, 286-87)
An abundance of questions arise when women tackle the possibility of relocation. These questions are practically universal. Why do these questions arise and can we identify where they come from?

The most challenging aspect of relocation and working within the global community, for women, is around the myths that exist around women's ability and desire to take part in the international field. These myths are both detrimental and, quite possibly, the hardest obstacle a woman expatriate will have to overcome in order to be successful in a global career. There are three main myths that were first outlined by Adler and have been used by other researchers. These myths are:
  1. The myth that foreigners are prejudiced against women and will not accept women in roles of leadership or power.
  2. The myth of safety and the lack of faith in a woman's competence overseas. This often leads to an outright refusal of some companies to send women abroad.
  3. The myth that women do not want international assignments because of work or family conflicts.
While these myths stem from real issues, they should be considered as stereotypes and addressed in that manner. Stereotypes of women's competence or role in international business emerge based on some truth or past experience, but on the whole they are really socially accepted prejudices or ways to explain a fear of the unknown. It is important to review these myths and take into consideration how they have arisen. Since the role of women in overseas positions is still new, it is important to explain why these myths are false and how they can hold women back from a successful international career. The best way to deal with these problems or situations if and when they do arise is to have an appropriate strategy in place that utilises readily available resources found in most business environments. In simple terms, clear planning and problem solving tools can be used to deconstruct and overcome these myths.

It is to the benefit of women expatriates, their male colleagues and their organisations that everything possible is done to open up the international business field to women, but not as 'pseudo' men by having to develop 'masculine' qualities but by being themselves.

To get in touch with Richard Cook email him on: richardcook@global-excellence.com

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