Women’s Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century

0436861 - SOÚ 2015 RIV GB eng M - Monography Chapter
Křížková, Alena - Jurik, N. - Dlouhá, Marie
The Divisions of Labour and Responsibilities in Business and Home among Women and Men Copreneurs in the Czech Republic.
Women’s Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub, 2014 - (Lewis, K.; Henry, V.; Gatewood, E.; Watson, J.), s. 258-277. ISBN 978-1-78254-460-9
R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP404/10/0021
Institutional support: RVO:68378025
Keywords : gender and entrepreneurship * copreneurs * division of labour
Subject RIV: AO - Sociology, Demography

Our chapter focuses on an underrepresented topic in entrepreneurial research: small businesses owned and operated by copreneurs. We examine the divisions of labour and responsibilities in the business and family lives of copreneurs in today's Czech Republic (CR). Copreneurs are romantic couples who own and operate small businesses together. Copreneurs provide a good point for unpacking the interplay among business, family life, and gender. We analyse interview narratives from 12 CR copreneur couples wherein each partner was interviewed separately. We conceptualize gender and entrepreneurial identities as emergent constructions in interviews and businesses. Business ownership was prohibited in Czechoslovakia for 20 years under state socialism. The narratives reveal the variety and significance of women's business contributions but also the underestimation of their role in the business and their continued assumption of responsibility for household labour and childcare.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0240507