Parental Leave and Business Start-Up among Women in Sweden

Magdalena Markowska, Lucia Naldi, Helene Ahl

The design of the Swedish welfare system makes employment the preferred career option. Yet, the number of women who are mothers of small children who choose to start a business is increasing in Sweden.

Our research, based on both population statistics and in-depth person-centered life story interviews shows that the parental leave acts as a trigger for these women’s decision because it breaks the everyday behavior pattern allowing women to reflect, scan the environment and plan potential venture. Simply put, the family-friendly policies offer entrepreneurship-relevant resource—time—yet the design of the welfare system is also consequential for the timing of their choices.

Research output

• Markowska, M., Ahl, H., & Naldi, L. (2022). Timeout: The Role of Family-Friendly Policies in Business Start-Up Among Mothers. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 10422587221126493.
• Naldi, L., Baù, M., Ahl, H., & Markowska, M. (2021). Gender (in) equality within the household and business start-up among mothers. Small Business Economics, 56(2), 903-918.
  
  

Funder