Negotiating independent mobility: Single female expats in Bangalore

Abstract

Every major global human resources study over the past 5 years has noted a common trend: a dramatic increase in the number of women in the expatriate workforce, and increasingly these expats are single. Using ethnographic observations and interviews with female expats who moved alone to work in Bangalore -the 'Silicon Valley of India' -I discuss frictions faced as they negotiate a context where how to get around safely and comfortably in public is the central feature of their daily lives. Using Massey's concept of 'power geometry', the article considers contrasts between the ease of international movement and the obstacles to daily mobility on a local scale, and illustrates how location-based technologies and other strategies are employed to (re)assert control over mobility and space. KeywordsDigital place-making, expats, globalization, mobile elites, mobility and gender With globalization in full swing … a corporate version of wanderlust is on the rise. And the new expatriates are increasingly young, female and single.-J Smerd (2007), in 'Workforce Management' (para 1) Every major global human resources study over the past 5 years has noted a common trend: a dramatic increase in the number of women in the expatriate workforce. Smerd's use of the word 'wanderlust' in the quote above situates this growth in female expatriation

The Female and the Male Professional: Gender, Career and Expatriation Interfaces in Trajectory for Female Expatriates

“…What was learned from the family appeared to encourage study and career choices in the future. This understanding is in line with research that considers career as inserted in the universe in which people and their work are established, being essential to understanding the influences received from the family, society, and the cultural context in which one grew up (Sullivan & Baruch, 2009;Polson, 2016;Rodriguez & Ridgway, 2019). The focus of the influence was on the figure of their mothers, by encouraging them to study, work and not depend on anyone financially.…”

“…In subsequent years, the author developed research aimed at demystifying the low participation of women in expatriations (Adler, 1984(Adler, , 1987(Adler, , 2002. Studies on organizational barriers imposed on women's participation in expatriations (Linehan & Scullion, 2004;Polson, 2016;Rodriguez & Ridgway, 2019) comparative on success and failure of expatriate men and women and gender differences in adaptation (Caligiuri & Lazarova, 2002;Haslberger, 2010;Selmer & Leung, 2003) are widely explored topics. The role of companies as facilitators, and even supporters in social interactions -which are critical factors for adaptation in the destination country, are part of the research concerns (Lee & Kartika, 2014;Abdulla & Jin, 2015).…”

“…Research on expatriation (Baruch, Dickmann, Yochanan, & Bournois, 2013;Van Bochove & Engbersen, 2015;Ramaswami, Carter, & Dreher, 2016;Polson, 2016;Gallon, Fraga, & Antunes, 2017) highlight the growing appreciation of availability for mobility in the global organizational environment and for international careers. Expatriation is usually understood by management as the transfer of employees abroad in order to develop activities at either the foreign head office or a foreign branch office for the company in which they work, whether for a predetermined period or not.…”

“…Internationally, research discusses why women are deprived of expatriation over men, recognizing that gender inequality operates as a barrier to access for international experiences (Polson, 2016;Domínguez, Rivo-López, & Villanueva-Villar , 2019;Rodriguez & Ridgway, 2019), considered by many companies as a basic requirement for management development (Altman & Shortland, 2008;PwC, 2015). Given the lack of progress in the discussion of the topic in Brazil, there is no reference to estimate the percentage of women within the population of expatriates, whether organizational or voluntary.…”

The mutual shaping of geomedia and gentrification: The case of alternative tourism apps

“…While Internet access is an increasingly normalized public service there are still occasional needs among tourists, especially in technologically less advanced regions, to find ‘Wi-Fi-hotspots’, ‘Internet cafés’ and other amenities for making full use of mobile applications. Furthermore, as Polson (2016a) shows in a study of female travellers to Bangalore, India, the functionality of mobile technology is indispensable not only for geographical mastery but also for achieving a sense of safety when moving outside the comfort zones of mainstream tourism.…”