One of the key factors for parents when they evaluate whether or not to accept an expatriate assignment is the impact that it will have on their children. And for good reason. Family issues rank atop the list of problems that cause expatriate assignment failure.

Peter Foster, Telegraph.co.uk’s Beijing correspondent, wonders aloud in an interesting article as to whether or not the expat life should be “inflicted” on children. One thing he confesses are his motivations:

So why did we come? Well, I know why I came. I was lured by the challenge of reporting on the story of the century: the great conundrum that is China and its role in the emerging post-Cold War order. No foreign correspondent worth his expenses would pass up that assignment. But it’s also fair to ask what’s in it for my wife and children, beyond a lungful of soot particles and a life cooped up like battery hens in a Beijing high-rise.

Whatever the motivation, the reality is that some children will benefit from the experience and some will look back on it with total disdain. Of course, that’s a very black-and-white analysis, and there will be many more former expats that will fall somewhere between these extremes when they assess their life abroad as kids. Mr. Foster’s telling of his experience is interesting and informative. But he is one man telling one expatriate family’s story. Our experience on ExpatExchange.com over the course of the last 13 years and interacting with thousands of expats has been that has been exactly what is stated above – some love it, some hate it, and some think it’s just okay!

A recent Gallup survey, highlighted on Forbes.com, found that the world’s happiest countries tend to have something in common… money! Here’s a few excerpts from a Yahoo summary article about these happy countries:

The Gallup researchers found evidence of what many have long suspected: money does buy happiness — at least a certain kind of it. In a related report, they studied the reasons why countries with high gross domestic products won out for well-being, and found an association between life satisfaction and income.

“Money is an object that many or most people desire, and pursue during the majority of their waking hours,” researchers wrote in the report. “It would be surprising if success at this pursuit had no influence whatsoever when people were asked to evaluate their lives.”

Social and psychological prosperity, fostered by tighter social networks, also contribute greatly to happiness. That is why some countries with cultures that exhibit these traits, such as Costa Rica, ranked highly in the survey.

Where does your destination country rank? Do the findings resonate with your own experiences?

As we posted earlier this week, ExpatExchange is running a new report that examines Culture Shock. Please add your Expat Culture Shock Report, too!

Here is another excerpt from an expat in the Netherlands:

Do you have any advice or thoughts about culture shock you would like to share?

Prepare for it. Research it, plan for it, plan for it to put stress on you, your family, and your relationships, but also know that it will pass, and that there are resources available to help you through it if you need them.

Also, biggest learning for me: Don’t wait until the honeymoon phase is over to work on making friends and integrating. Learn the language immediately. Show up at ‘meet up’ groups and social gatherings immediately. Even if you don’t ‘want’ new friends now, you’ll need them, and the worst is when you need them and don’t have any, and have to start from scratch during a time when you could have had people to call on.

Perhaps more than anyone else, single expats are confronted with the opporunity to marry someone from another country. What are the implications of an expat marrying someone from another culture?

A somewhat related study reports that, based upon a certain methodology, that men from certain countries produce men that are more likely to pitch in around the house, thus making for happier homes:

Economist and Researcher Almudena Sevilla-Sanz from Oxford University said that the “study shows that in egalitarian countries there is less social stigma attached to men doing what was traditionally women’s work. This leads to men in egalitarian societies taking on more of a domestic role so the likelihood of forming a harmonious household becomes greater, resulting in a higher proportion of couples setting up households in these countries.”

Even from those that are married abroad, it would be very interesting to hear the opinions of expatriates on this study.

One wonders though, does the study’s author have one view of what makes a happy home? As a therapist, one of the first things you learn to do is check your values at the door. Interesting that it’s an economist that produced this study, and not someone with formal training in family dynamics or something similar. It will be interesting to read the full published article.

For those interested in learning more about the study’s author and her organization at Oxford, visit the Centre for Time Use Research web site.