Labor after Labor

This report is the first in a series of papers about entrepreneurship and motherhood. Here, we present research regarding the economic and social challenges women face, the impact of motherhood on these challenges, and their implications for mothers’ employment and entrepreneurship. We close with a series of policy recommendations to make entrepreneurship more accessible to mothers. Mothers often face many challenges in the traditional workplace, including lack of family friendly policy, pay inequity, and working the “second shift” of household duties. Entrepreneurship is viewed as an attractive option for mothers, as it is perceived to provide greater flexibility to achieve a work-life balance; however, many additional challenges exist for mother entrepreneurs, including increased work-family conflict, cognitive biases, and lack of mentorship and social capital. Policy solutions, outlined in the paper, offer suggestions for policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurship support organizations, and society as a whole