A review of work–life balance in the expatriation context

Purpose Work–life balance (WLB) is an important aspect of modern society, influencing personal well-being and business performance. Despite its importance in the business context, its analysis in the expatriation context is still scattered. Thus, this paper reviews the literature covering the analysis of 40 papers that focus on WLB and expatriation. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review (SLR) was deployed in both the WoS and Scopus databases until December 2024. About 40 articles were in-depth analyzed, and four themes emerged inductively. The Hoshin Kanri Matrix was used to showcase each of the main themes. Findings Four main themes emerged from this SLR: (1) Cultural adaptation; (2) Types of support; (3) WLB challenges and (4) Gender perception. Qualitative studies are predominantly used vis-à-vis quantitative studies. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by identifying four main strands that reveal potential paths for developing WLB in expatriation processes, both academically and in business contexts.