Motives and Expectations of Brazilian Expatriates' Spouses in Supporting International Assignments

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the motives and expectations of Brazilian expatriates’ spouses in supporting international assignments. This investigation adopted a hermeneutic interpretive phenomenology research design. Twelve participants were selected for this investigation. Data collection included in-depth semi-structured interviews and field notes. Findings indicated that societal barriers, gendered career experiences, and career and life stage reasons influenced women’s decision to engage in career opt-out and/or interruption in support of the spouses’ IA. Further, women perceived IAs as means of acquiring embodied and institutionalized cosmopolitan capital for self, spouses, and children in order to maintain or gain a better position in a transnational/globalized world. This investigation contributes to cross-cultural understanding of career experiences of women.
Keywords: dual-career expatriates, gender, cross-cultural studies