Contextualising migrant black business women ' s work-life balance experiences

Abstract

Purpose -Employing a feminist relational lens, the purpose of this paper is to explore the work-life balance experiences of black migrant women entrepreneurs, examining the relationship between macro, meso and micro levels of business activity. The paper examines the obstacles raised and opportunities enabled by the confrontation and negotiation between the private and public space. Design/methodology/approach -Qualitative methods are used and the paper draws on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 29 black women business owners in the legal and black hairdressing sectors in London. The analysis of the paper is informed by a relational approach that recognises the embedded nature of business activity in differing levels of social action. Findings -The analysis reveals that ability of the women in the study to manage their work-life balance was shaped by power relations and social interactions between and within cultural, structural and agentic dimensions of small business ownership. Originality/value -This paper contributes to the literature on business and entrepreneurial behaviour of women by embedding work-life balance experiences of black migrant women in context of relations between and within macro, meso and micro levels. It conceptualises the behaviour of the women in the study in terms of confrontations, negotiations and dialogue between notions of motherhood, femininity, family and entrepreneurship at the societal, institutional and individual levels. In so doing the paper expands the literature on minority entrepreneurship and underscores the interconnected nature of these three levels to produce unique experiences for individual migrant women.

A Web of opportunity or the same old story? Women digital entrepreneurs and intersectionality theory

“…There are, however, a number of exceptions wherein intersectional perspectives interrogate the simultaneous impacts of race/ethnicity, gender, class and religion on entrepreneurship, in various combinations (Essers et al, 2010;Forson, 2006Forson, , 2013Knight, 2014). Such studies focus upon gender, race/ethnicity and class as 2 relevant to entrepreneurship given their centrality to positions within social hierarchies and !…”

“…Yet, despite such constraints, women across the globe participate in a diverse range of entrepreneurial activities, developing agentic strategies to gather and exploit ! 4 resources and navigate complex barriers to their full participation 1 2013; Essers et al, 2010;Forson, 2013).…”

Identifikasi Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Sukses Wirausaha

“…Terkait ini, Rauch dan Frese, (2000) menegaskan bahwa sukses faktor wirausaha dapat diidentifikasi melalui 5 faktor yaitu lingkungan, kepribadian, tujuan, human capital dan strategi. Meski demikian, temuan sejumlah peneliti menegaskan ada banyak faktor yang mempengaruhi sukses wirausahawan (Forson, 2013;Kumar, 2013;Kwong, et al, 2012;Dawson dan Henley, 2012;Pines, et al, 2010). Fakta ini kemudian menjadi argumen bagi Simpeh (2011) untuk menyebut bahwa perkembangan dari kewirausahaan tersebut mempengaruhi konsep dan teoritis dari kewirausahaan itu sendiri.…”

“…Identifikasi dari kedua faktor diatas maka sukses faktor wirausaha wanita secara tidak langsung dipengaruhi oleh motivasi, baik dalam bentuk motivasi internal ataupun eksternal (Aramand, 2013;Forson, 2013;Dawson dan Henley, 2012;Canizares dan Garcıa, 2010). Artinya untuk faktor yang pertama terkait dengan motivasi trial and error dengan mengacu aspek internal dan eksternalnya, sedangkan untuk faktor kedua terkait dengan motivasi untuk survive yang lebih disebabkan karena faktor marginal, misalnya karena kondisinya sebagai pendatang atau kelompok minoritas.…”

The Changing Nature of Work-Life Balance in Nigerian Higher Institutions

“…Work life balance initiatives are likely to have significant economic effects relevant to organisations, including effects on costs, the composition of the labour force, and productivity (Clifton and Shepard, 2004) Work life balance issue affect both men and women, it can cause conflict for both men and women leading to neglect of children and divorce. It can affect family satisfaction and frequent mental conflict (Forson, 2013). It is challenging and difficult in achieving WLB in a situation where husband and wife work full time (Wheatley, 2012).…”