Fri, 10 February 2012
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Employment
Employment Information
Expatica Survey reveals women expats happier at work
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The number of expat women satisfied with their working environment has tripled in the past year, reveals a recent Expatica survey.
“The opportunities for women to take on responsibility, manage significant projects, moving up in a company, or earn excellent money are about zero,” said a respondent living in Germany.
Finding a job also remains a challenge for women expats, with 64 percent saying they would be able to find a job more easily if they were back in their home country.
“In Brussels, it seems especially hard to become established professionally if you’re not fluent in French and Dutch, which is obviously unlikely if you are a foreigner,” said an expat woman living in Belgium.
“The Belgian emphasis on years of experience in a particular field seems to discriminate against young people and ignore actual talent,” she added.
Where women are happiest
Seventy-two percent of women polled said they are satisfied or very satisfied with their life abroad. According to the survey, female expats based in Spain are the most happy (81 percent), followed by Belgium (79 percent) and France (79 percent).
This is a far cry from last year’s results when women in Spain ranked among the lowest in satisfaction.
“My experiences have been great. My knowledge has broadened. Travel has exposed me to other cultures. Accessibility to art, architecture and music is phenomenal,’’ said a happy respondent from France.
While most women are happy with recreation and food in their adopted countries, the same can’t be said for shopping and healthcare.
An expat woman living in Madrid reported: “I had a bad experience when sick in the hospital. The nursing care was terrible; and this was a private hospital which treats the royal family. I was surprised. It makes me question how nurses are trained in this country. It was scary and I pray that I do not get sick again.”
Socially, female expats said the language barrier and the differences in culture are what make it harder for them to make new friends.
“Dutch people are usually polite and nice to you, but they will rarely invite you to their homes or include you in their circle of friends. My partner’s Dutch, but even with his family, I find them to be too polite, to the extent of being aloof,” said an expat living in the Netherlands.
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