Finnish Female Expatriates in the Arab Middle East: Influences of Cultural Differences on Behavior and Interpersonal Communication
Kinnunen, Laura (2013)
2013
Kuvaus
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Tiivistelmä
Women are still representing a minority in international assignments, especially in male dominant cultures like in the Arab Middle East. However, as the global war for talent is getting tougher, and multinational companies (MNCs) are forced to expand their areas of operation, they can no longer afford to ignore women in culturally distant areas. This thesis focuses on Finnish female expatriates working in a culturally challenging context, in the Arab Middle East, a region, which is becoming increasingly important for Finnish companies. The existing research on female expatriates in this context is limited, thus this study tries to fill the gap by analyzing the interview data of ten Finnish female expatriates who have worked in six different Arab Middle Eastern countries. The present study aims to increase the understanding and knowledge of Finnish female expatriates’ experiences in the Arab Middle East by analyzing the effects of the gender and the influences of the cultural differences on Finnish female expatriates’ behavior and interpersonal communication in the region.
Some of the cultural differences had a stronger impact on women and therefore, Finnish female expatriates had to adjust their behavior even more than their male counterparts. Even though gender did affect Finnish female expatriates’ work, eventually their status was defined by expertise, not the gender. Furthermore, the majority of Finnish female expatriates felt locals perceived them first as foreigners and only after that as women; hence, they were never evaluated by the same standards as the local women. The interpersonal communication skills were seen highly valuable, because trust created through personal relationships is the most valuable asset in the region. The results of this study indicated that Finnish female expatriates were able to successfully work and live in the Arab Middle East regardless of the cultural differences, especially related to the gender.
Some of the cultural differences had a stronger impact on women and therefore, Finnish female expatriates had to adjust their behavior even more than their male counterparts. Even though gender did affect Finnish female expatriates’ work, eventually their status was defined by expertise, not the gender. Furthermore, the majority of Finnish female expatriates felt locals perceived them first as foreigners and only after that as women; hence, they were never evaluated by the same standards as the local women. The interpersonal communication skills were seen highly valuable, because trust created through personal relationships is the most valuable asset in the region. The results of this study indicated that Finnish female expatriates were able to successfully work and live in the Arab Middle East regardless of the cultural differences, especially related to the gender.