Title: How do female entrepreneurs experience and cope with role conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa: case study from Ethiopia

Authors: Mulu Berhanu Hundera; G.M. Duijsters; Wim A. Naudé

Addresses: Department of Management, School of Economics and Management, Tilburg University, The Netherlands ' Department of Management, Tilburg School of Economics and Management, The Netherlands ' Maastricht School of Management, The Netherlands

Abstract: This paper presents the experience of role conflict and consequent coping strategies used by women entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) context. The data was collected from female business owners in the textile sector of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in multiple case studies. The results indicate that sources of role conflict for women entrepreneurs in the context studied include family, business (work), social role expectations, and personal factors. We therefore argue in this study that sources of role conflict should not be limited to those stemming from family and work, the normative focus in work-family interface literature. The main practical implication is that in cases where there is a shortage of resources, efforts aimed at promoting female entrepreneurship should start by examining the source of conflict.

Keywords: business stages; coping strategies; role conflict; women entrepreneurs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2019.102520

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2019 Vol.38 No.1/2, pp.177 - 209

Received: 30 Sep 2017
Accepted: 15 Nov 2017
Published online: 30 Sep 2019 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article