Bittersweet halves face crisis of identity

Decades ago, the rare press report that mentioned them did so almost lovingly, as if it were a term of endearment to describe women (mostly the case then) who followed their transferee husbands across the universe.

But in recent times, sociologists have started to view it as a syndrome that leads to a diminished sense of self-worth and ultimately the loss of identity.

"You are nervous about going back to work. You aren't exposed to the rapid changes in technology while you are away from the workforce", says Beijing resident Suchandra Chaudhuri, 37, who followed her husband to China six years ago when he landed an assignment with a top Western firm.

In China, being with her two children became the main priority for this triple master's degree-holder with a prior career of 11 years in urban planning in India.

Chaudhuri sees her six-year work hiatus as a temporary phase when she occasional encounters frustration.

In their book Portable Identity, relocation specialists Debra Bryson and Charise Hoge, argue the need for dual-career support in such situations.

The lack of a professional identity can hurt socially too when trailing spouses become invisible in networking circles and the process of identity reconstruction in a new country takes time.

Some companies that help trailing spouses hunt jobs in foreign locations end up with mixed results.