Mexico called the best country for expat women’s careers

Map: InterNations

Mexico is the best country for expat women pursuing their careers, according to a 2018 survey.

Mexico, Myanmar, Cambodia, Bahrain and New Zealand offer the best prospects for professional women, according to Munich-based InterNations.

In Mexico, 29 percent of women earn more than they would have at home and 68 percent are satisfied with their careers, although 26 percent are upset about a long working week of 45 hours.

A German expat in Mexico was quoted as saying that “job and career opportunities in an environment where expats have a good standing.” However, working long hours, it comes as no surprise that 26 percent of female expats working in Mexico are unsatisfied with that factor.

A third of women expats around the world are making less money abroad than they would earn if they did the same job at home.

The study interviewed 7,000 women across 168 countries. Overall, more than half were happy with their prospects and many were earning more than they would have had they stayed at home.

One in four women stated they moved homes to improve their career, compared with 40 percent of men.

Only 7 percent were transferred overseas by their employers, compared to 15 percent of men.

“One of the reasons for this might be that a large share of them moved to increase their quality of life (28 percent), while only 4 percent named work-related reasons as their main motivation,” said the study.

But workers were highly satisfied with their work-life balance (74 percent), their job security (71 percent), and their job in general (76 percent).”

The survey also revealed most women work in education or health care, although this is not the case in every country.

In Ireland, twice the average number of women (14 percent) are in health care.

“It is easier to find job opportunities here,” an expat from Romania told researchers.

In Kenya, money makes women stay in their jobs – with 16 percent earning more than US$150,000 a year. The global average is US$75,000 a year.

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