The paradox of gender equality: an entrepreneurial case study from Sweden

Abstract

Purpose -Informed by socialist feminist theory, the purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of societal factors such as governmental policies, labor market structure, social norms, and gender ideology on the experiences and practices of women small business owners in Sweden. Design/methodology/approach -Using qualitative data gathered during four months of fieldwork in Sweden, the analysis focuses on the case of Malin Andersson, the founder of a domestic services company, to show how individual situations are intimately connected to the larger social, political, and economic environments. Findings -The analysis demonstrates how the complexities of gender and class dynamics interact with business endeavors in a capitalist society with a strong social democratic political system. In particular, the paper shows how Malin Andersson's experience of entrepreneurship is at the nexus of many social forces, creating many contradictions and paradoxes to understanding her experience. Originality/value -The theoretical framework and empirical evidence suggest that paying attention to the socio-economic-political context is vital to illuminate the contradictions inherent, but often overlooked, in women's experience of entrepreneurship in different situations.

From feminism to FemInc.ism: On the uneasy relationship between feminism, entrepreneurship and the Nordic welfare state

“…They make women's contributions to business visible, and they demonstrate the gendering of productive and reproductive work as it relates to women's forms of engagement in business. These studies also demonstrate, and question, the male norm of entrepreneurship as well as explicitly discuss the connection between entrepreneurship and feminist theory (Bourne 2010;Holmquist 2002;Sundin 2002). Explanations for any problems that may arise with respect to women's entrepreneurship are sought in structures, rather than in individual shortcomings.…”

“…work-related responsibilities and the primary responsibility for child-, home-, and elderly care (Bourne 2010).…”

A Gender integrative conceptualization of entrepreneurship

“…At the intersections of feminist research and the entrepreneurship field, a small number of scholars have adopted an explicitly feminist perspective to the study of entrepreneurship (Ahl, 2004;Ahl and Marlow, 2012;Bourne, 2010;Calás, Smircich and Bourne, 2007;Özkazanç-Pan, 2014). Within this context, feminist theorizing uncovers where stereotypes and "subjective perceptual variables" come from, to enrich our understanding of how these "exert a crucial influence on women's entrepreneurial propensity and can account for much of the difference in entrepreneurial activity between the sexes" (Jennings and Brush, 2013: 685; see also Gupta et al, 2008Gupta et al, , 2009Gupta, Goktan and Gunay;Gupta and Turban, 2012;Langowitz and Minniti, 2007).…”

Exploring the dynamics of gender, feminism and entrepreneurship: advancing debate to escape a dead end?

“…So, for example, the discourse underpinning entrepreneurial representation has been analytically revealed as fundamentally masculine (Bourne, 2010;Bruni, Gherardi, & Poggio, 2004a, 2004bDe Bruin, Brush, & Welter, 2006). In effect, the defining characteristics of the entrepreneur are also those which define masculinity and so, unsurprisingly, men dominate as high profile entrepreneurial role models (Ahl, 2006;Marlow, Henry, & Carter, 2009).…”