Who leads? Fresh insights into roles and responsibilities in a heterosexual copreneurial business. Issue 3 (19th August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Deacon, Jonathan H; Harris, Jacqueline A; Worth, Louise
• Editors: Henry, Colette; Al-Dajani, Haya
• Is Part Of: International journal of gender and entrepreneurship. Volume 6:Issue 3(2014)
• Publication Date: 2014-08-19
• Subjects: Businesswomen -- Periodicals; Entrepreneurship -- Sex differences -- Periodicals; 338.0405
• DOI: 10.1108/IJGE-03-2014-0009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1756-6266

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: This paper seeks to engage with contemporary gender and entrepreneurship theories to gain insights into the division of labour, capitals and capacities and gendered identities within the heterosexual copreneurial businesses consisting of a husband and wife. This paper does not specifically explore 'family business' but acknowledges copreneurship as a constituent sub group of research within family business and in doing so, the wider small business domain. Design/methodology/approach: A multiple exploratory interview approach is used, with data generated through the instruments of face-to-face in depth interviews and ethnographic participant - observer multi setting observation. The rationale for this approach was that it provides exceedingly rich and detailed data and thus insights into the complex relationships found within copreneurial businesses. Findings: The interviews generated a large amount of qualitative data, which were organised into themes through a process of recursive abstraction. Expelling the myth of the 'male lead entrepreneur' this study finds that entrepreneurial identity and roles and responsibilities within a copreneurial business are shared and complementary, and are dependent upon the unique capacities and capitals of each partner. Whilst there is evidence of duties that could be stereotypically described as either 'men's work or women's work' there was no apparent role tension between the partners. Thus no one partner's contribution was deemed any more valuable than the other. Originality/value: By examining the division of labour and unique value/contribution of both men and women within the copreneurial/familial relationship the stereotyped perception of the husband being the lead (male) entrepreneur is challenged in favour of the more complementary capacities, roles, responsibilities and thus value of each actor/participant.