INTERCULTURAL ADJUST OF SELF-EXPATRIATED BRAZILIAN WOMEN

Abstract

The process of international mobility can be a disruptive biographical episode in which a series of challenges are experienced, one of them being intercultural adjustment which will affect different aspects of personal and professional life. The aim of this study is to examine how the intercultural adjust of highly qualified self-expatriated Brazilian women takes place. The method chosen was narrative research, using content analysis, specifically the thematic analysis technique. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 participants. International mobility led to a process of personal and professional freedom and self-knowledge. As results, we observed that with the passage of time and intercultural adaptation, despite the setbacks, barriers and challenges, they feel completely adapted and that being on international mobility has enabled them to achieve a better balance between their personal and professional lives. Being out of their comfort zones, open to “not knowing”, not understanding and starting “from scratch”, consequences of living in a completely different environment, has led them to test their limits and go through a process of self-recognition, self-development and increased self-confidence, becoming more protagonists of their lives and careers in the self-expatriation than in their country.