Women Entrepreneurs

Abstract

This article offers a post hoc analysis of the reasons why women leave corporate careers to enter self-employment. Four case studies of women entrepreneurs from North East England are presented.The subjective narratives of these female entrepreneurs highlight the complex nature of their career transition motivations and the issues they confronted while reaching the decision to begin new ventures. It transpired that original motivations for entering self-employment were not fully realized, however, this was compensated for by positive experiences in terms of personal and professional development and a new-found independence and control. Finally, it is suggested that the `Career Transition Motivation Framework' is a useful way of understanding the complexity of women's career transition experiences.

Discourses of entrepreneurial leadership: Exposing myths and exploring new approaches

“…Kate's lived experience concurs with more recent arguments presented in this journal which suggests that work-life balance is a rich and multidimensional concept that holds a heterogeneity of meanings which are worthy of further consideration (Duberley and Carrigan, 2012;Jayawarna et al, 2011;Patterson and Mavin, 2009).…”

“…As details on age, marital status and number of children are not usually included when studying male entrepreneurs (Greene et al, 2003) we chose not to impart this information in this article. We felt that by entering such biographic details we ran the risk of perpetuating the assumption that female entrepreneurs set up their business mainly to achieve some form of work life balance (Patterson and Mavin, 2009). …”

“…Both mainstream literature and the reported practice of entrepreneurial leadership have consistently failed to question its gendered nature (Hamilton, 2006;Marlow et al, 2009;Patterson and Mavin, 2009). It is the masculine voice that governs entrepreneurial discourse and exchange, the worlds of business and the economy (Burrell, 1992;Hampton et al, 2009;Harding, 2003).…”

Gender and entrepreneurship research: A review of methodological approaches

“…The study by Struder (2003) provides another example of methodological innovation. Here, the author combines ethnographic and case approaches to demonstrate the extent of the frustration felt by Turkish women entrepreneurs in London as they struggle with their multidimensional roles as guardians of Turkish culture, mothers and entrepreneurs (for other examples, see Achtenhagen & Welter, 2011;Datta & Gailey, 2012;Eversole, 2004;Farr-Wharton & Brunetto, 2009;Lewis, 2006;Patterson & Mavin, 2009;Ezzedeen & Zikic, 2012;Struder, 2003;Wilson & Tagg, 2010).…”

Becoming an Entrepreneur: a Diversity of Factors, Types and Pathways

“…However, the male entrepreneurial discourse did not point to it as a key motivation for the creation of a selfemployment situation. During the interviews, problems linked to time management, caring for children and articulation with spouses' working hours appeared more often in the women's accounts -even those of the women entrepreneurs who belonged to other profiles -than in the men's narratives (Patterson and Mavin, 2009). The effect that family concerns had on the professional choices of the women from this type of entrepreneurship made itself felt in two distinct ways: via parenthood, and via conjugality.…”