ABSTRACT
One of the few facts about women in international management is that there are very few of them. Statistics show that women make up between 2 per cent and 15 per cent of the total international management population (Adler 1984a; Brewster 1991; Reynolds and Bennett 1991; ECA 1994; Harris 1996). The paucity of women in international management has been attributed primarily to factors external to the home country organization: women’s own lack of interest; dual-career couple constraints; host country managers’ and clients’ prejudice. This chapter provides evidence that the real cause for concern may lie within organizations’ own selection systems for international assignments, which result in few women being picked to take up a position abroad.
