Leveraging the Macro-Level Environment to Balance Work and Life: An Analysis of Female Entrepreneurs’ Job Satisfaction

Small Business Economics. 2021. Vol. 56. No. 4. P. 1361–1384.

De Clercq D., Brieger S., Welzel C.

This study investigates the interactive effect of female entrepreneurs’ experience of work–life imbalance and gender-egalitarian macro-level conditions on their job satisfaction, with the prediction that the negative linear relationship between work–life imbalance and job satisfaction may be buffered by the presence of women-friendly action resources, emancipative values, and civic entitlements. Data pertaining to 7392 female entrepreneurs from 44 countries offer empirical support for these predictions. Female entrepreneurs who are preoccupied with their ability to fulfill both work and life responsibilities are more likely to maintain a certain level of job satisfaction, even if they experience significant work–life imbalances, to the extent that they operate in supportive macro-level environments.

Keywords: работа, удовлетворенность работой, гендерное равенство, gender equality, work, job satisfaction, multilevel analysis, женское предпринимательство, мультиуровневый анализ, female entrepreneurship, life imbalance, жизненный дисбаланс

Publication based on the results of: Exploring cultures: historical legacy and recent challenges (2021)