Work-life boundary management styles of women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia – “choice” or imposition?
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the work-life boundary management experiences and challenges women entrepreneurs face in combining their work-life responsibilities. Design/methodology/approach: In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia using a grounded theory approach to investigate how they manage the boundaries between their work-life roles, the challenges they face and how these challenges affect their boundary management experiences. Findings: Integration, as a work-life boundary management strategy, is imposed on women as a result of normative expectations on women to shoulder care and household responsibilities, as well as to fulfil societal roles and obligations. In addition, challenges related to managing employees at home and at work frequently require women to combine work and life roles, forcing them to integrate even more. Practical implications: The findings of this study underline the need to recognise the work-life interface challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and to develop programmes and hands-on training to help them adopt work-life boundary management tactics. In addition, it is hoped that the findings will inform policies and women entrepreneurship development programmes designed by the government, development partners and other stakeholders. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the work-family literature by highlighting the contextual and environmental factors imposing work-family boundary management styles on women entrepreneurs in the Sub-Saharan country of Ethiopia.
Year of publication: |
2018
|
---|---|
Authors: | Gudeta, Konjit Hailu ; van Engen, Marloes L. |
Published in: |
Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. - Emerald, ISSN 1462-6004, ZDB-ID 2031784-0. - Vol. 25.2018, 3 (18.06.), p. 368-386
|
Publisher: |
Emerald |
Saved in:
Online Resource
Saved in favorites
Similar items by person
-
Boundary management preferences from a gender and cross-cultural perspective
Allen, Tammy D., (2024)
-
Vinkenburg, Claartje J., (2011)
-
Commitment of Minorities in Organizations : Effects of Leadership and Pressure to Conform
Rupert, Joyce, (2005)
- More ...