Performing and unperforming entrepreneurial success: Confessions of a female role model

Abstract

Female role models are increasingly used in enterprise support to encourage women to open businesses. Although varied in detail, their public narratives generally follow a limited number of plots where hard work overcomes all obstacles and leads to emotionally fulfilling, rewarding careers while societally enabled resource accumulation and financial returns are rarely mentioned. This autoethnographic inquiry critically examines one such publicly disseminated role model narrative, the author's own, and contrasts it with an alternative, unspoken story. Using a narrative approach, performative lens, and insights from the role model literature, it offers a theoretically informed analysis of these contrasting accounts exploring how the relationship between individual agency and social context is occluded in role model narratives. It theorizes a performative paradox where, in order to meet the politically charged imperative to "inspire and empower" disadvantaged aspirants, role models simultaneously perform shared social identity and deny its impact. Implications for enterprise support are discussed.

Development of Schoolpreneur Model for Malaysian Secondary School: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach

“…Besides that, Adesola et al (2019) argue that role models can motivate student entrepreneurial involvement. This is substantiated by the findings of Marks (2021), who found that the real-life story of an entrepreneur (role model) is an effective strategy for teaching individuals new to entrepreneurship about entrepreneurship. Next, Bosma et al (2012) demonstrated a significant positive relationship between role models and entrepreneurship, as role models serve as "icons" for startup entrepreneurs, motivating, inspiring, and supporting their entrepreneurial pursuits.…”

The critical role of assertiveness of women business owners in the link between firm performance and family instrumental support

“…in the service industry versus the technology industry) because of industry characteristics such as life cycle, growth potential and competition. Moreover, role models in the family and social networks can also influence the familial support provided to women entrepreneurs (Austin and Nauta, 2016; Marks, 2021; Nowiński and Haddoud, 2019). Indeed, in settings featuring successful entrepreneurs who serve as role models in the family and/or other social circles, family members may provide more support to women business owners as they may consider their venture to be a family tradition and/or part of their culture.…”

The Mediating Role of Competitiveness Between Entrepreneurial Challenges and Willingness of Female Business Graduates

“…Previous literature confirmed that female entrepreneurs could not advertise their products; therefore, they are limited to a particular market around them (Islam et al, 2021;Kumar & Shukla, 2019). According to previous literature (Yusuf & Ibrahim, 2021;Kimathi et al, 2020), women entrepreneurs in developing countries are far behind, and as a result, they remain to fail to get maximum benefits from advanced technologies, use of modern equipment, awareness of modern business tools (Marks, 2021;Lim et al, 2021;Okechukwu, & Nwekwo, 2020). If the women adopt these newly developed technologies, they will get enormous benefits in terms of their personal economic and financial benefits.…”