Women expats rank Kenya top destination

A view of the Kenyan capital Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By ANNIE NJANJA

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Summary

• Expat Insider, ranked Kenya as the ninth most preferred country by women expatriates owing to the “above-average satisfaction with career prospects”.
• About 36 per cent of women expatriates working in Kenya said that they receive better income as 60 per cent felt satisfied with career prospects.

A global network of expatriates, InterNations, has ranked Kenya among the ten best countries for women expats to pursue a career globally.

InterNations in an annual survey, Expat Insider, ranked Kenya as the ninth most preferred country by women expatriates owing to the “above-average satisfaction with career prospects” and higher income when compared to working at home countries. The survey interviewed about 7,000 female expats living in 168 countries.

InterNations has three million members across 390 cities.

About 36 per cent of women expatriates working in Kenya said that they receive better income as 60 per cent felt satisfied with career prospects.

READ: Women still far behind men in formal jobs, says study

Working 46.4 hours a week, the longest period in the top 10 ranking, and lack of job security were however cited as downsides of working in Kenya.

A majority of women working in Kenya (20 per cent), the survey found that they were sent by their employer, almost triple the global average of seven per cent.

“..It might be the income that makes them stay: same as in the USA, 16 per cent have a gross household income of more than $150,000 (Sh15.3 million) per year,” said a statement from InterNations.

Mexico, Myanmar, Cambodia, Bahrain, and New Zealand, respectively, are the countries that offer the best career prospects.