How to Increase Female Participation in Global Mobility Programme

Over the decades, society has progressed massively in the field of equality between men and women. However, there are still many areas of work where females are fighting for equality.

The society as a whole may have progressed by leaps and bounds but there still some grey areas, where women find themsleves in the backseat. An example of this is female participation within the global mobility industry.

There are many factors that contribute to women receiving fewer opportunities in the workplace then men, thus by coming together as a community, we find ways to increase participation of females within this industry. 

Lets examine some key research that has been undertaken which identifies factors that can increase female participation in international assignments. 

Destroying the Bias

Statistics have proven that 69% of female workers have a desire to work internationally instead of being rooted in their home country or current workplace. It has also been proven that women keep an equal interest in international assignments as men. 

Despite the large gap between, both men and women accept assignments to travel globally for somewhat similar reasons. The most common motivations include the chance to expand their respective careers, develop new skills, refine old skills and a general interest in exploring a different country.

Good news is that this general bias is easily counter-attacked, starting with the time-frame that businesses utilize to employ females. 

A recent analysis of more than 10,000 participants shows that 50% of females are single, whereas 70% of male participants are married. This further shows that females should be handed assignments at a young age, when they have lesser commitments then when married, allowing them freedom to travel and particpate in a global mobility programme, more effectively. 

Role Models

Studies show that almost 30% of females refuse an assignment because of lack of a role model.

Women, in general, feel more supported when they have a mentor to guide them through the assignment and inspire them to adopt the best practices when it comes to finishing it.

By having a role model to look up to, females can adhere to a stronger leadership role. A good way to increase the popularity of role models is to present opportunities to women in the industry to listen to other senior professional figures.

This way, women employees can recognize the best possible ways to fulfill their potential and follow in the footsteps of their acclaimed mentors, thus leading to higher participation in global mobility programmes.

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Gender-Specific Support Networks

To elaborate on the idea of role models, support network for women can be implemented to generate inspiration and help women vocalise their passion for working internationally.

To make this idea reach its potential, participants should receive a home and a host country mentor to look up to. This way, the home mentors can assist the participant in distinguishing unrealistic expectations about any future assignments.

The said support network should also help women who have families.

Such a network can be made possible via placing social networks in the host location so that females can reach their potential on the given assignments.

Therefore, global mobility teams should provide women with said resources to guarantee that they feel supported and can further take part in global mobility programmes more due to an increased confidence level. 

If you’re interested about the role of females within the global mobility industry and would like to find out how you can further increase female employee participation with international assignments, get in touch via our contact page.