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Impact of spousal work restrictions on expatriates' work life and overall life satisfaction
Author(s) -
Vijayakumar Pooja B.,
Cunningham Christopher J. L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1002/ijop.12655
Subject(s) - boredom , expatriate , psychology , life satisfaction , crunch , work (physics) , quality of life (healthcare) , process (computing) , work–life balance , social psychology , applied psychology , political science , engineering , mechanical engineering , medicine , computer science , law , psychotherapist , physical therapy , operating system
Our understanding of the challenges and the broader role of spouses of expatriates is extremely limited. This study examined the impact of spousal work restrictions on expatriates' work life and overall life satisfaction using qualitative and quantitative analyses based on data from a sample of 409 Indian Information Technology professionals working in USA. Furthermore, hypothesised conditional process model (tested with PROCESS analysis tool) was supported, showing that spousal work restrictions created complications in personal lives of expatriates, which interfered with work lives resulting in lower overall life satisfaction. We identified six core classes of challenges faced by spouses of expatriates: wasted skills, financial issues, boredom, social isolation, quality time and domestic tension. Our mixed method approach also helps to provide a more comprehensive picture of these complications. This study may help organisational leaders and policy makers to more fully consider the implications of visa‐related policy changes on expatriate families.