Saying no to work, not to responsibility : Women Entrepreneurs negotiating Motherhood, Entrepreneurship and Care Labour in Everyday Life.

Sammanfattning

The thesis examines how women entrepreneurs who are mothers experience boundary work combining motherhood and work in daily life, and how they relate to gendered norms of work, care and responsibility. The theoretical framework combines doing gender, undoing gender and boundary work with perspectives from Fraser, Hochschild and Weeks.Using a qualitative feminist approach, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed through a reflexive thematic analysis. Central findings: the dual image of flexibility; the incompatibility of the temporary parental benefit system with entrepreneurship; strategies interpreted as undoing gender reproducing norms in practical activities and socio-economic conditions determining available strategies.