Going through a divorce is a painful experience under any circumstances, but being on international assignment when your marriage fails can bring a whole host of added complications.
Higher divorce rate for expats
Currently, divorce rates in the US, UK, France, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands range between 35 and 60 percent. And non-official statistics suggest that the rate among expatriate and repatriate couples is even higher. The reasons for expat divorce are multiple and varied, from the sudden loss of the home support network to accompanying partners forced to give up their jobs. Living abroad already puts strains on a marriage. Other factors can include working male partners finding themselves exposed to temptations they are ill equipped to handle. And, in some cases, long hours and frequent business trips only serve to exacerbate the situation.
Additional complications
Sometimes a relationship is doomed to failure anyway, even if the couple hadn’t been expatriated. On the other hand, there’s always a chance that counselling might save a fragile marriage – and it’s certainly not uncommon that a move abroad can even strengthen a relationship. But there’s no doubt that getting divorced while living outside of your home country adds additional complications to an already difficult situation. Couples can find themselves in a situation that can be difficult financially, and even more complex emotionally, especially if there are children involved.
Support from assigning organisation
As well as the overall personal drama of an eventual divorce, there are also often considerable business consequences for the assigning organisation. Many companies are willing to help in this situation – for example, by offering coaching support for individuals or couples. However, both parties may feel uncomfortable in dealing openly with this subject. Some of our clients have solved this by allocating cost reimbursement in this area to the partner support budget under the umbrella of ‘life coaching’ – something which we can organise. In the end, this can lead to a win-win situation for all parties concerned.
