I have not seen many surveys that get into it, outside of suggesting that "family issues" are at the center of a failed assignment. But this recent article in The Telegraph, touches on one of those topics that would be very challenging to discuss with a couple prior to heading off on a global assignment.
Dr. Yvonne McNulty, an associate faculty member at SIM University in Singapore, did a study called, “Till Stress Do Us Part: The Causes and Consequences of Expatriate Divorce,” where she studied 38 expat divorces in 27 countries and found a range of issues. “The way a lot of women described it was that their husbands were a big fish in a small pond,” says Dr. McNulty. “Western men are considered a prize catch, and women are ruthless in how they pursue them.”
This article explains that an expat man that has seen better days is still seen as a chick magnet. "It may be a cliché, but it’s one that worries many expat wives out here. Horror stories of so-and-so’s hubby running off with the Filipina maid, or a Vietnamese cutie/Thai bargirl he met on a business trip are rife at expat coffee mornings."
Wondering how much of this is fact or fiction? How would you propose this being addressed then by the company?
/Passle/56686a093d94740bd0dda608/SearchServiceImages/2026-09-28-14-42-00-956-6aba7cb89a7b7dedf3b5c60c.jpg)
/Passle/56686a093d94740bd0dda608/SearchServiceImages/2026-08-26-20-55-25-615-6a8f52bd9e6a1c98055c2c3c.jpg)
/Passle/56686a093d94740bd0dda608/SearchServiceImages/2026-09-02-18-11-34-494-6a9866d678052a467599fe70.jpg)