Paper short abstract:

This paper explores concepts of Expatriates' spouses' occupations based on a narrative analysis of biographical interviews. It gives an overview of womens' (narrative) strategies of dealing with their role of being "in tow" and the conditions in which they act and tell their stories.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores concepts of transnational professionals' accompanying spouses' occupations based on a narrative analysis of biographical interviews with women who are temporarily in Austria. The sample consits of mostly academically educated women who have no work permit and/or haven't been automatically found a job by their partner's company.

The paper takes a look at how the women talk about the quest to develop their own occupation while their partner pursues his career path. The narrative description of these occupations ranges somewhere between the poles of "hobby" or "career". Despite, or even because of, the lack of a financial need to work the women's narratives speak of a certain pressure to occupy themselves meaningfully.

The women's own and their environment's ideas of a "good biography" play a role in judging these efforts: Often activities such as volunteering in local organisations are seen as not career-related although they take up a lot of time and are experienced as fulfilling by the women. Even with time and money on hand to pursue an interest or a talent there seems to be a call for a certain seriousness of approach to make it a meaningful occupation. Developing a "career in a suitcase" that can be picked up and practiced profitably everywhere in the world appears to be a symbol of successfully occupying oneself as an accompanying spouse. This paper wants to further explore the conditions in which these women act and tell their stories.