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Work-to-personal-life conflict among dual and single-career expatriates: Is it different for men and women?

Liisa Mäkelä (Department of Management, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland)
Anna-Maija Lämsä (Department of Management, Jyvaskylan Yliopisto, Jyvaskyla, Finland)
Suvi Heikkinen (Department of Management, Jyvaskylan Yliopisto, Jyvaskyla, Finland)
Jussi Tanskanen (Department of Management, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland)

Journal of Global Mobility

ISSN: 2049-8799

Article publication date: 11 September 2017

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore if an expatriate’s career situation at the level of the couple (single career couple (SCC)/dual career couple (DCC)) is related to the expatriate’s work-to-personal-life conflict (WLC) and if the expatriate’s gender is related to WLC. The authors also investigate if the level of WLC is different for men and women in a DCC or SCC (interaction).

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted among 393 Finnish expatriates who were in a relationship and were working. A moderated hierarchical regression was utilized in the data analysis.

Findings

Gender or DCC/SCC status was not separately related to WLC but an interaction effect between gender and a couple’s career status on WLC was significant. In DCC couples, women experienced more WLC than men. In SCC couples, women experienced less WLC than men.

Practical implications

The findings indicate that organizations should develop practices to support both DCCs and SCCs, for instance, by providing mentors for expatriates and their family members, or through organizing family events for company employees. Couples should also negotiate their roles and responsibilities in both the personal life and work-life spheres before moving abroad and also during the time they live abroad, especially women involved in a DCC and men involved in an SCC.

Originality/value

This is the first study focusing on expatriates’ WLC that simultaneously takes account of how the gender and career situation of the couple are related to it.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the project Occupational Well-Being of International Professionals in Contemporary Working Life, funded by Academy of Finland (Project No. 268102) and by the program Equality in Society (WeAll project, 292883), strategic research funding of the Academy of Finland (weallfinland.fi). The authors gratefully acknowledge this support.

Citation

Mäkelä, L., Lämsä, A.-M., Heikkinen, S. and Tanskanen, J. (2017), "Work-to-personal-life conflict among dual and single-career expatriates: Is it different for men and women?", Journal of Global Mobility, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 304-316. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-12-2016-0065

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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