The lived experiences of foreign women: Influences on their international working lives

The lived experiences of foreign women were explored to discover influences on their international working lives. Life history narratives were collected in interviews with 12 participants who were female, foreign (nationality differs from their country of employment) and employed or a business owner in the United Arab Emirates. A phenomenological framework of analysis resulted in identification of three emergent themes around life experiences that had shaped participants' working lives: becoming a new generation of expatriates; adjustment to sociocultural change; and centrality of womanhood. The implication of these themes was the influence from lived experiences on the development and professional identity of foreign working‐women. Findings offer insight about influences on the actual and potential economic participation of foreign women for business practitioners and policymakers. A new classification of foreign worker, the ‘foreign working‐woman’ (FW‐W), extends the body of academic knowledge. A research direction is proposed for further international study about influences from life experiences on the FW‐W.