Feminization of International Assignments: Conquering Empty Castles?

This article challenges Nancy Adler's findings on female expatriates due to deficiencies of the underlying theoretical framework. It deals with the "essentialist" implications of the notion of "female skills" and scrutinizes Adler's optimistic view on the career prospects of women. By introducing a sociological perspective, i.e., the notion of international assignments as a social practice that is embedded in gendered relations of power, it aims to explain why women entering the domain of international management may turn out to be the conquerors of "empty castles," as men actually deserted the terrain and moved on to more prestigious positions in international organizations.