Constructing Entrepreneurial Identity through Work-Life Balance Negotiation: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study of Female Entrepreneurs in Male-Dominated Industries

Abstract

Women entrepreneurs who work in traditionally male dominated industries have entrepreneurial journeys where the socio-cultural and institutional context is continually influencing their role as entrepreneurs and their identity as women. Despite the growing body of research on entrepreneurial identity, there has been a dearth of studies looking at identity in relation to work-life balance and a predominance of Western-based views on identity. As a result, little is known about how women entrepreneurs in developing economies create their entrepreneurial identities amidst various personal, professional and gender related expectations. To fill this lacuna the present study aims at exploring lived experiences of 18 female entrepreneurs involved in male dominated industries of Lahore in Pakistan. This study used guided an interpretivist paradigm and in-depth semi-structured interviews that applied Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as analysis method. The analysis resulted in four themes that interrelate with each other: (1) Becoming an Entrepreneur: Redefining Self beyond Traditional Roles; (2) Negotiating Legitimacy in Male-Dominated Industries; (3) Negotiating Work-Life Balance through Adaptation; and (4) Identity Transformation through Resilience. The results highlight the fact that entrepreneurial identity is not something that is fixed when a venture was founded, but rather, it is a dynamic process and continuously changing as a result of the interaction among family responsibilities, entrepreneurial demands, gendered institutional expectations and the personal meaning-making. Participants did not see work-life balance as a fixed goal, but as a process of adaptation and negotiation that was ongoing as entrepreneurial identity was continually re-negotiated and re-constructed. The study combines the two theories: Role Theory and Gendered Organization Theory, and thus builds upon the previous work of entrepreneurial identity by providing a contextual explanation of the construction of entrepreneurial identity in a developing-country context. The results also offer practical policy, entrepreneurial support and leadership development programs seeking to increase women's participation and sustainability of their businesses in traditionally male-dominated sectors.