Self-employment and marriage: Costs and benefits

Abstract

This article highlights the effect of self-employment in a marriage by examining both the costs and possible benefits that are brought to bear when the breadwinner is in self-employment. Specific aspects identified as having an impact on the marital relationship were: work-family conflicts; role-division; stress; motivation for the start up of the business; the structure of the business; financial management; and personality characteristics. Via the interview schedule, it was possible to glean in-depth information from both spouses in the marriage on the advantages and disadvantages of being self-employed. Finally, recommendations are made both for therapeutic and preventive interventions with the couple as well as for interdisciplinary communication.

Feeling Misunderstood: A Concept Analysis

“…Fourteen topics from business and sociology discussed feeling misunderstood as it related to: business/consumer communication (Carlson, 1973), self‐employment and family time (Haselau & Kasiram, 1996), homosexuality (Day & Schoenrade, 1997, 2000), small businesses (Hopkins, 1997), employee retention (Austin, 1998), generation Xers (Jurkiewicz, 2000), disciplining children (Neifert, 2000), pharmacy benefits managers (Edlin, 2002), gifted children (Hebert, Neumeister, & Speirs, 2002), risks (Koehler, 2002), social relationships (Bediako & Friend, 2004), banking marketers (Marlin, 2004), reasons for prostitution (Forrest, 2005), and management issues (Skabelund, 2005). For example, in Skabelund's (2005) article on management and frontline workers, it is explained that management usually makes decisions based on information that the front line doesn't have.…”