Employers are trying to make relocations more palatable to both partners in a relationship. (Photo: Shutterstock)
As companies strive to get more women into leadership roles, they're learning that attracting top female candidates isn't just about what they can offer the candidates themselves, but what they can offer their spouses.
Traditionally, it was men whose careers dictated where the family lived and women simply adapted their careers –– if they had them –– in response. Increasingly, partners regard each other's careers as equally important, meaning that both have to find good jobs before moving to a new place.
Recommended For You
The change has been gradual, however. In 2016, only 23 percent of employees who moved as a result of a job transfer were women. It's a noticeable increase over 2009, when women only accounted for 17 percent of relocations, but it shows that families are much more likely to move for the man's career than the woman's.
A report by Ernst & Young LLP and NetExpat Inc. finds that a spouse's career is the most commonly cited reason for an employee to turn down a relocation. Women employees are far more likely to cite a partner's job.
As a result, employers are trying to make relocations more palatable to both partners in a relationship. In 2017, 62 percent of employers provided services to help the spouses or partners of relocated employees find jobs, up from only 33 percent in 2007, according to a recent survey by Atlas.
"Companies consider such help a critical aspect of getting more women into leadership," says Lauren Herring, CEO of Impact Group, which specializes in relocation assistance, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. American Express, which reports that nearly half of the employees it relocates are women, provides a range of services to partners of transferred workers. The company connects them with career coaches, helps them update their resumes and identifies potential employment prospects in the new city.
Two years ago, Suzanne Lucas, the author of the popular HR blog, Evil HR Lady, commented on the issue for another HR site, HR Bartender. Lucas said that helping a relocated employee's partner find work is a "great use of funds."
"It's not that expensive and getting the spouse into a good job is key to a relocation sticking," she wrote. "A spouse that is used to working and can't find a job can drag down your employee and make the relocation fail. You've spent a fortune getting the person here, throw in another few thousand dollars to help the spouse find a job."
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
