Gender, race/ethnicity, and entrepreneurship: women entrepreneurs in a US south city
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
ISSN: 1355-2554
Article publication date: 3 April 2018
Issue publication date: 7 November 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how gender, interacting with race and ethnicity, plays a role in women entrepreneurship process and how women entrepreneurs’ experiences shape and are shaped by their communities.
Design/methodology/approach
First, five-year 2010-2014 American Community Survey data are analyzed. Then, in-depth interview and focus groups discussion are conducted with 40 women business owners and the data are analyzed using the software package QSR Nvivo.
Findings
Women entrepreneurs face the challenges and the difficulties of managing both family roles and work. However, they have strategically negotiating with their multiple roles through entrepreneurship to gain independence and purpose, as well as the opportunity to contribute to society. In particular, their embeddedness within local communities provides meanings, opportunities, and functional strategies for their entrepreneurial activities.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on only one study area. A larger sample size with more cases from multiple study areas can provide further insights.
Practical implications
Findings from this study have profound implications for practices of equitable growth, community development, and urban planning under the rapid growth of immigration.
Originality/value
First, extending focus on the social identity of “motherhood,” this study argues for considering multiple social identities of women entrepreneurs and the intersectionality of multiple identities. Second, it extends the traditional focus of entrepreneurship studies from a singular focus on economic growth to include additional dimensions of work-life balance and sense of community. Third, place is not only a context but also acts powerfully into the entrepreneurial process. It argues that women entrepreneurs and their businesses are deeply embedded in local communities as their multiple identities are shaped at both home and work.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Research for this study is funded by National Science Foundation (BCS1127343), the Kauffman Foundation, and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Claire Schuch and Elizabeth Morrell provided excellent research assistance. Dr Suzanne Leland and her students from “PPOL 8622 Qualitative Research Analysis” helped with the research process. Most importantly, this study will not be possible if without the participation of the women business owners who generously shared their time and insights with the author.
This paper forms part of a special section “Intersectionality and entrepreneurship”, guest edited by Amal Abbas, Janice Byrne, Laura Galloway and Laura Jackman.
Citation
Wang, Q. (2019), "Gender, race/ethnicity, and entrepreneurship: women entrepreneurs in a US south city", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 25 No. 8, pp. 1766-1785. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-05-2017-0156
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited