ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the ways in which the contexts of work can be critical to the makings of gendered and raced identities in expatriate life. With women increasingly entering the international workforce, work is now a key context not only of expatriate men's lives but of women's as well. A growing proportion of this new generation is women, 'expat girls' who are travelling the world in search of new work experiences and lifestyles. In expatriate life the 'separate' spheres of public and private often take on a new shape and meaning, and the spaces of 'work' and 'leisure' can become very blurred. In her 50s, Kim is a very senior manager in one of the most prestigious hotels in Hong Kong. Kim is keen to move on from the racially stereotypical behaviours of the colonial period and recognize that it is important to change behaviour and attitudes in the new context.