“Just sort of treading water”: Qualitative study of the lived experiences of romantic partners of diplomats

Little is known about the lived experiences of the romantic partners of diplomatic personnel who often accompany their employed partners on frequent short-term inernational postings. However, evidence from similar populations (e.g. partners of military personnel who accompany their deployed partners) suggests that frequent, repeated overseas deployments can substantially affect the wellbeing of accompanying partners. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 partners (six female, five male) of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) employees between 2021 and 2022 and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. While participants described some perceived benefits of their lifestyles (e.g. increased time to spend with children and opportunities to experience new countries and cultures), they also highlighted several challenges. Most participants had given up their careers to accompany their partners overseas which appeared to negatively affect their sense of identity and they struggled to find work at overseas posts. There was a perception that the organisation did not adequately value the sacrifices made by employees' partners. Participants who accompanied their FCDO partners to ‘hardship posts’ (places with extremely difficult living conditions) felt they lacked sufficient training and preparation and some reported feeling unsafe as a result. Recommendations are made for diplomatic and similar organisations whose employees relocate their families, including greater provision of training and employment opportunities; monitoring of family wellbeing after potentially traumatic experiences; recognising the important role partners play in the functioning of the organisation; recognising the sacrifices made by partners; and providing information about job and education opportunities as well as career training and guidance.