Trailing Spouses Talk Show Episode 6 | What Is a Trailing Spouse?

On this episode we going to talk about what is a trailing spouse? The term trailing spouses was invented by a Wall Street Journal writer in the early eighties, during a wave of globalization when businesses were expanding overseas. The term describes a spouse who accompanies their partner to another country on their overseas job assignment. In those days the worker was usually a male executive and the trailing spouse was female. The perception was that the trailing spouse would assume a “supporting” role such as being a primary care giver. The main focus then for Global Mobility programs was to keep the primary care giver happy in a new country. Today, the trailing spouse phenomenon is compelling for several reasons. trailing spouses are now recognized to have a much wider range of circumstances and needs. In particular there has been a growing awareness of male trailing spouses.