Expatriate spouse adjustment: an analysis of challenges facing western female expatriate spouses in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The present study endeavours to strengthen the existing knowledge by investigating factors impacting the adjustment process of the western female expatriate spouses of the expatriates on their international assignments in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We have conducted a qualitative research with 15 western expatriate female spouses who were relocated due to their husbands' international assignments in the UAE. The core findings reinforce the results of previous studies and this should be viewed as a warning signal for MNCs trying to expand their operations in the Middle East and in the UAE in particular. In this region, MNCs need to initiate support practices for expatriate spouses, as failure to do so could jeopardise their expansion activities in countries like the UAE. This has implications for training as well as for the management of foreign assignments and it creates new avenues for research on expatriate management.