Parenthood and Entrepreneurship: A New Research Agenda

Éditeurs invités

• Shuang Lu Frost, Aarhus University
• Magdalena Markowska, King's College London
• Kai Roland Green, Aarhus University
• Kimberly Eddleston, Northeastern University
• Alisa Jno-Charles, Babson College
• Haibo Zhou, University of Nottingham Ningbo China
• Ulla Hytti, University of Turku

Synthèse

Nearly half of early-stage entrepreneurs globally are raising children, yet the intersection of parenthood and entrepreneurship remains underexplored in research. Parent-entrepreneurs face unique tensions between childcare demands and business pressures at individual, family, and societal levels, while entrepreneurship often intensifies rather than resolves work-family conflict. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing effective support systems and policy frameworks that recognize the dual roles many founders navigate.

The special issue seeks both explanatory and interpretive research examining how parenthood shapes and is shaped by entrepreneurial activity across diverse family forms, parental roles, and regional contexts. Key areas include motherhood and entrepreneurship (beyond work-family balance), underexplored topics such as fatherhood, single parenthood, and LGBTQ+ parenting, household dynamics between partners and across generations, and how institutional frameworks and welfare policies influence parent-entrepreneurs differently across regions.

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Thèmes proposés

• How do parent-entrepreneurs negotiate entrepreneurial and parental identities across gender, culture, and sexuality?
• How do emerging models of fatherhood/motherhood shape entrepreneurship?
• What role does founder identity transformation play in the transition to entrepreneurial parenthood?
• How do single parents, LGBTQ+ parents, and individuals in non-normative family forms experience entrepreneurial entry and growth?
• How is role conflict or role enrichment experienced differently by mothers and fathers in entrepreneurial families?
• How do partner dynamics and household egalitarianism shape entrepreneurial decisions?
• What specific resources (cognitive, financial, human, social capital) are transmitted from entrepreneurial parents to children?
• What are the lived experiences and well-being outcomes of children growing up in entrepreneurial households?
• How do macro-level factors (e.g., economic instability, policy frameworks) interact with household dynamics to influence children's outcomes and orientations?
• In what ways do interparental interactions and household role negotiations shape children's perception of entrepreneurship?
• How do entrepreneurial households balance opportunity creation with potential stress or instability for children?
• How do regional policies, parental leave systems, and childcare infrastructure shape entrepreneurial entry, continuation, and exit among parents?
• How do parent-entrepreneurs' experiences differ across welfare regimes (liberal, social-democratic, conservative, developing-country contexts)?
• What role do informal institutions and extended family networks play in enabling or constraining parental entrepreneurship?
• How does the portrayal of parent-entrepreneurs in media, public discourse, and cultural narratives affect entrepreneurial motives and sources of satisfaction?
• How does the self-representation and identity work of parent-entrepreneurs on social media and in entrepreneurial communities contribute to their business success and well-being?
• How do discursive ideals of 'good motherhood' or 'involved fatherhood' constrain or enable entrepreneurial action?
• What are the longitudinal effects of entrepreneurship on family well-being, and vice versa?
• How does parenthood influence innovation, creativity, or business performance?
• How do entrepreneurial career trajectories differ based on family status, parenting roles, and the timing of parenthood relative to venture creation?