Abstract
This study explores how informal gender exclusionary practices enacted by male-dominated Partner networks in Professional Service Firms (PSFs), reinforce gender inequalities for allocation of expatriate roles. Women managers without expatriate assignments and visibility to male Partner networks, cannot circumvent male power relations and practices for promotion to global partner roles.
Bourdieu’s cultural capitals is used to investigate how expatriate assignments influence successful career trajectories of women managers who become global Partners. The study finds women managers who push for expatriate experience make cultural capital gains in their career trajectory to global Partner roles. Women gained legitimacy for leadership of large, global client projects and, visibility to partner networks. By combining cultural capitals prior to promotion, women create a platform for symbolic capital for entry into the Partner elite.
Bourdieu’s cultural capital and field logic enabled three research contributions. Firstly, women exercised agency instigating their expatriate roles and made cultural capital gains. Secondly, expatriate roles gave women social capital and visibility within global partner networks. Thirdly, social capital and networks positioned women with symbolic capital for promotion, through access to global client projects to fit field logic.