When Balance Meets Support: How Gender Equality Conditions Shape Female Entrepreneurs’ Satisfaction

What is it about?

This study explores how work–life imbalance affects female entrepreneurs’ job satisfaction, and how broader gender-egalitarian conditions in their countries can soften this negative effect. The authors propose that women who experience strain from juggling professional and personal responsibilities may nonetheless remain satisfied with their work if their national environment offers supportive institutional and cultural resources. Analyzing data from 7,392 female entrepreneurs across 44 countries, the study finds that work–life imbalance typically reduces job satisfaction, but this effect weakens when countries exhibit women-friendly action resources, emancipative social values, and broad civic entitlements. In other words, when societal structures encourage gender equality and provide institutional or cultural support, women are better able to maintain well-being despite personal strains. For policymakers and organizations seeking to promote women’s entrepreneurship, these results highlight the importance of supportive national contexts. Efforts to expand civic freedoms, gender equity initiatives, and social entitlements not only benefit equality goals but also help sustain women’s job satisfaction and entrepreneurial engagement. Creating such macro-level support systems allows female entrepreneurs to thrive even when personal and professional demands compete.

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Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research offers a cross-national, multilevel perspective on female entrepreneurship by integrating individual experiences with societal structures. It reveals how gender-egalitarian conditions—spanning resources, values, and rights—buffer the adverse emotional consequences of work–life tension. Its timeliness lies in the growing global emphasis on women’s economic empowerment and inclusive entrepreneurship. As gender parity in entrepreneurship remains an ongoing challenge, this study underscores how institutional and cultural ecosystems can make the difference between burnout and satisfaction for women leading businesses.