Work and Family Lives of Women Entrepreneurs in the Pandemic Process

Abstract

This research aims to understand and interpret the changes in the working and family lives of women entrepreneurs working in SMEs during the pandemic process. The research was designed with a phenomenological pattern by using qualitative research methods. The participants consisted of 14 women entrepreneurs selected by using purposeful and snowball sampling techniques among women entrepreneurs who received KOSGEB support in Ankara. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews. 
 It has been revealed that the most important change in the working life of women entrepreneurs during the pandemic process is the decrease in incomes and increase in expenses. The decrease in business capacity has led women entrepreneurs to exhibit pessimistic attitudes towards working life. It is possible to collect other changes in working life under the categories of decrease in the number of customers, decrease in the number of employees, change in working hours, inability to save, consuming existing savings, working from home, benefiting from social media opportunities in working life.
 Although some of the women entrepreneurs stated that the pandemic was functional in terms of increasing the interaction of family members, strengthening ties and providing the opportunity to rest, it is understood that the domestic workload of women entrepreneurs increased significantly in parallel with the negativities in their working life. There has been an increase in the use of domestic labor by women entrepreneurs such as care, cleaning, nutrition, and support for education. In this context, it can be claimed that the tendency of women entrepreneurs to stay away from work and withdraw to home life is getting stronger. As a result, the pandemic process has had a knock-on effect on the working and family lives of women entrepreneurs, and has had interrelated negative consequences that can be described as double disadvantage.