Preview

Women: Air-Miles to Improve Their International Career Prospects

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1638 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Women: Air-Miles to Improve Their International Career Prospects
Women need air-miles to improve their international career prospects, but the first challenge many ambitious women face is landing an assignment in the first place. Natasha Gunn writes.
Women need air-miles to improve their international career prospects, but the first challenge many ambitious women face is getting an assignment in the first place. Natasha Gunn looks at the issues involved and examines the possible root of the problem.

Shelley Wheeler, who works for a multinational energy company, had been putting herself forward for an expatriate role for several years before she finally got a posting.

"I think it was difficult for people to ’hear’ my request," Wheeler says.

"Decision-makers make assumptions as to what they think the best sort of assignment for someone would be. When they move that framework over to women they tend to eliminate certain jobs because of the locations they are in and assume they are either too dangerous or difficult," she says.

Now from her base in Dubai, Wheeler focuses on doing business in Kazakhstan.

After five months in her new role, she hasn’t met any real problems due to being a woman in her early 30s in a traditionally male-dominated industry and culture.

Wheeler explains that when her company is dealing with local business contacts it is not usual that anybody goes alone. "Because I am the only woman on the team, inevitably it is a male colleague who goes with me," she says.

Cultural barriers
So how would Wheeler deal with men who found her gender to be an issue on the business floor? "I think it is always a matter of context," she says

"If I am the decision-maker in the room, and the men I am doing business with constantly address a male colleague, then, if it is necessary for the successful outcome of that meeting, I slowly make the other side aware that I am the person they need to refer to," Wheeler explains.

Intercultural trainer Dean Foster has observed that, depending upon the degree to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Anthony's Dilemma Story

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Anthony should avoid the use of the word "guys" when referring to business professionals. While some people claim that it is gender-neutral, the fact remains that it is essentially a term used for men (as seen in phrases like "guys and girls"). His greeting ("Hi guys") and his reference to the "guys at the picnic" reinforce the idea that he is only considering the male business professionals in his environment. Instead of "guys", he should write, "Hi, everyone", and "everyone at the picnic ..."…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Alonso H. (2004). Thinking and Acting Locally and Globally. Journal of Women 's History 16.1 (2004) 148-164…

    • 1173 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout history, it is evident that women have been oppressed in one way or another. Whether it be from unequal salaries or having less opportunities as men. Women all around the world have strived to get the same rights as men have and this is seen in different fields. Sally Ride, the youngest and the first American women to go to space is an inspiration to women all around the world for opening doors for women. Sally Ride’s encounters in the field, her space exploration, her excellence in the scientific world and her intuition to encourage other women prove that women can do the same things as men if given the opportunity.…

    • 1853 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “In 2015, only half of the world’s working-age women are in the labor force, compared to 77 percent of working-age men,” (MAKERS). Everyday, women face unequal circumstances and situations within the workplace. The average woman’s wage is significantly lower than their male colleagues. This would also mean that men have more job opportunities than women. All these disadvantages women face negatively affect their careers. The government has tried to decrease the inequality by creating laws, but they are never harshly enforced. Improvements for women are needed in the workplace because they will increase women’s career rights and the quality in the workplace overall.…

    • 1728 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whether a male or a female, no one should ignores gender patterns. “Generalizing about groups of people makes many of us nervous. We like to think of ourselves as unique individuals, not representatives of stereotypes. But it is more dangerous to ignore patterns than to articulate them,” (Tannen 213). Men and women have the difference in the way they talk, even they live or work together. People like to think of ourselves as unique individuals, not representatives of stereotypes. In order to articulate these patterns, we have to focus on three aspects that cause people problem to ignore patterns of gender. They are differences in conversation goals, asking for direction and trouble talk.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    What is it that makes a woman a woman, or what makes a man a man? Deborah Tannen, author and Ph.D. of linguistics, investigates this question within the essay, “There Is No Unmarked Woman.” An excerpt from a larger publication, “Talking from 9 to 5,” written in 1994, “There Is No Unmarked Woman” is an effective examination of the social injustice as to why the state of womanhood is “marked” while the state of manhood is “unmarked”, and what this means for each sex. The book itself is a result of real-life research about the conversational styles in a workplace setting and how conversation impacts productivity and success. Although Tannen uses many effective strategies within the excerpted essay, she most pointedly uses devices such as narration, vivid description, definition, compare-contrast, and example to make herself heard. She also adopts a critical, but humorous, outlook in order to effectively analyze why these social structures exist without discrediting her own voice or style. In the opening paragraphs of “There Is No Unmarked Woman,” Tannen narrates a past experience from a professional conference, therefore beginning the essay on a more personal and relatable note. She begins with, “Some years ago I was at a small working conference of four women and eight men. Instead of concentrating on the discussion I found myself looking at the three other women at the table, thinking how each had a different style and how each style was coherent.” These few sentences allow the reader insight into the author’s thinking process and that even she may judge other women for how they dress and act, creating a more intimate atmosphere between the audience and the author. “One woman had dark brown hair in a classic style, a cross between Cleopatra and Plain Jane...Because she…

    • 1837 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Woman are under-represented in the most powerful positions at the top of occupational hierchies and in skilled, working class jobs, and are concentrated in a much narrower range of occupations that are men.…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women often face obstacles in both their business and professional lives because of their gender. They tend to make lower salaries than their male counterparts and are less likely to be promoted to executive level positions. Women have been put in the position of feeling the need to chose between motherhood and their careers.…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The first error that I feel Anthony made in his response to the class was "Hi guys." It appears in the phrasing of his greeting that Anthony assumed the class was all male. Although, this does appear somewhat sexist, I however would not take offense to this type of greeting per say as it is typically a gender-friendly greeting. I do feel that the rest of Anthony's response regarding his experience at the company conference was quite sexist, namely, how Anthony was surprised that the female or "lady" as he called her had "many good things" to say. I personally would not have mentioned the gender of the speaker, but just referred to the "speaker" at the conference. Most of Anthony's discussion response focuses more in context with males attending this conference just by using some of his descriptive phrases such as "the good ole boys" and only mentioned the male managers, which would lead one to assume there were no female managers present. Anthony should have used language such as "Hi Class" or Hi All." Also, Anthony could have been more inclusive with his descriptions of the managers, such as, "The managers and their families. I would think that Anthony's concern over not offending anyone to me shows that had he had a face-to-face conversation in the same language, the response may not have been interpreted as sexist. Anthony could have clarified himself differently in his response.…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Communication skills are different among men and women in respect to, and because of, their various occupations and experiences. Women use terms that are more descriptive and take longer to get to the point, while men tend to start with the direct point and fill in as needed. There are also differences in how each gender interprets some phrases. This paper further discusses some of the differences, how these differences relate to miscommunication, and ways that these issues can be dealt with effectively.…

    • 2209 Words
    • 64 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    MGT 216 Final Exam 3

    • 1804 Words
    • 8 Pages

    4. Women working as expatriate managers are unsuccessful in some countries because they are treated the same as women from that local culture.…

    • 1804 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    The idea is novel enough to draw attention and also indirectly imparts the message of the type of woman you may aspire to be via attending ADFA. The timing of this event should be two months or more before the deadline for year 12 students' UAC preferences so the ADF may have time to solidify within the minds of the publics as a viable career option for women.…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Works Cited International Marketing Position Paper: Women-Pro Women Managers Should be Considered for International Positions Anywhere in the World Throughout most of history women have had fewer rights and career opportunities than men. Women’s most significant professions were thought to be wifehood and motherhood. In today’s American society, women are becoming more involved in the business world than they have ever before. It is now uncommon for women not to attend college and get a higher level education. This allows them to acquire higher level positions at their places of employment. Upper level management positions were once monopolized by males, but now women are beating out men for these highly sought after positions because they are simply more qualified. While the United States has embraced this change, some countries are not too thrilled about the shift in the ranks. Men or Women: Who’s the Better Leader? Companies Need Female Managers Barriers for Women Foreigner’s Prejudice “There is a myth that foreigners are prejudiced against women expatriate managers” (Adler). However, almost all of the women managers (97 percent) were successful on international assignments. This success rate is considerably higher than their male counterparts (Adler). There are advantages to sending a woman to do international work. Foreign clients are curious about women, and they want to meet them. The foreign clients remember them after theirfirst meeting. Women also have the advantage of being easier for foreign clients to talk with compared to their male colleagues. Foreign clients might also receive special treatment not given to their male colleagues. There is a term know as the “halo effect” which explains how women managers sent internationally can be seen as a positive from the foreign clients’ point of view. The foreign community that the woman manager is sent to is “usually highly aware of how unusual it is for North American firms to send women managers…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women face many obstacles in the attempt to advance in a career, and may come upon a "glass ceiling" or a barrier created by such prejudices. The same guidance is not offered by male figures to women as men creating a low moral. Women have difficulty reaching higher levels with such boundaries. (Barko, ?)…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gender and Leisure

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Society’s perceptions of solo women travelers are still ones of skepticism and often disbelief. As stated by Wilson and Little in 2008 women were often in awe of other women who were brave enough to travel solo as they themselves did not believe they could go through with it whereas men where more concerned for…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics