There is a tsunami approaching for organizations with global dual-career couples. A policy rethink is long overdue in order to better retain global talent and avoid being washed out.
As organisations continue their diversity and inclusion strategies, more mobile women are driving career options–not just for themselves, but for their partner. The shift from ‘my career future’ to ‘our careers’, which more professional women are initiating, is visible. As gender roles and work patterns continue to evolve, so goes the future of the global dual-career couple.
The future for Diversity and Inclusion.
In late 2016, 27 CEO’s from major global firms such as Accenture, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Linkedin and McKinsey & Company, pledged that women will hold 50% of leadership roles by 2030. This Paradigm for Parity coalition outlined a five point plan to create change and enable progress. With such ambitious goals for gender parity, there must now be greater understanding of the needs of global dual-career couples.
Jennifer Petriglieri, an Insead professor of Organisational Behavior observed that corporate policies lag behind the social and economic needs of global dual-career professionals. She also found a disconnect between organizational policies and “how people in their thirties and forties blend work with domestic lives and on what they expect from their employers — including just how much they are prepared to give up.”
At certain points in one’s career, there is often an opportunity to relocate, and within MNC’s that will increasingly be outside their home country. Takeovers, M&A and global expansion make this a reality, and such mobility is often career advancement. For the dual-career couple, such opportunities can be double-edged, and organizations should be able to weigh the outcomes more carefully.
