Article: When the going gets tougher: international assignments, external shocks and the factor of gender Journal: European Journal of International Management (EJIM) 2024 Vol.23 No.4 pp.537 - 567 Abstract: Job Embeddedness (JE) theory proposes that higher levels of an individual's perceived on-the-job and off-the-job embeddedness - measured using the key dimensions of fit, links and sacrifices - lead to stronger ties to the organisation and community. Consequently, mounting evidence from past research suggests that embeddedness has a mitigating effect on turnover intention when shocks occur. Yet, most previous insights focus on male expatriates, neglecting gender differences from female workers. With data collected from 288 expatriates in the United Kingdom (UK) and using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), various JE configurations are identified which reduce female/male expatriates' intentions to turnover after a significant shock experience abroad. By showing how and why the number and type of shocks and the effective pattern of JE changes between genders, the ongoing debate towards a more gender-specific understanding on what mitigates or facilitates turnover intentions is pushed forward. Implications and limitations are discussed. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: When the going gets tougher: international assignments, external shocks and the factor of gender

Authors: Sonja Sperber; Christian Linder

Addresses: Department of Strategy and Innovation, Institute for Strategy, Technology and Organization, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria ' SKEMA Business School (Grand Paris Campus), University of Côte d'Azur, Suresnes, France

Abstract: Job Embeddedness (JE) theory proposes that higher levels of an individual's perceived on-the-job and off-the-job embeddedness - measured using the key dimensions of fit, links and sacrifices - lead to stronger ties to the organisation and community. Consequently, mounting evidence from past research suggests that embeddedness has a mitigating effect on turnover intention when shocks occur. Yet, most previous insights focus on male expatriates, neglecting gender differences from female workers. With data collected from 288 expatriates in the United Kingdom (UK) and using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), various JE configurations are identified which reduce female/male expatriates' intentions to turnover after a significant shock experience abroad. By showing how and why the number and type of shocks and the effective pattern of JE changes between genders, the ongoing debate towards a more gender-specific understanding on what mitigates or facilitates turnover intentions is pushed forward. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Keywords: configurations; external shocks; female expatriates; gender differences; international assignments; on-the-job embeddedness; off-the-job embeddedness; turnover intentions; QCA; host country.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2024.139797

European Journal of International Management, 2024 Vol.23 No.4, pp.537 - 567

Received: 27 Apr 2023
Accepted: 18 Apr 2024
Published online: 05 Jul 2024 *

Title: When the going gets tougher: international assignments, external shocks and the factor of gender

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