Parental Leave and Business Start-Up among Women in Sweden
Magdalena Markowska, Lucia Naldi, Helene Ahl
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The design of the Swedish welfare system makes employment the preferred career option. Yet, the number of women who are mothers of small children who choose to start a business is increasing in Sweden.
Our research, based on both population statistics and in-depth person-centered life story interviews shows that the parental leave acts as a trigger for these women’s decision because it breaks the everyday behavior pattern allowing women to reflect, scan the environment and plan potential venture. Simply put, the family-friendly policies offer entrepreneurship-relevant resource—time—yet the design of the welfare system is also consequential for the timing of their choices.
Research output
- Markowska, M., Ahl, H., & Naldi, L. (2022). Timeout: The Role of Family-Friendly Policies in Business Start-Up Among Mothers. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 10422587221126493.
- Naldi, L., Baù, M., Ahl, H., & Markowska, M. (2021). Gender (in) equality within the household and business start-up among mothers. Small Business Economics, 56(2), 903-918.
Funder
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