Family emotional support in the transformation of women entrepreneurs

Abstract

Women-owned family businesses have proliferated since the fall of communism in formerly Central and Eastern European countries. Unfortunately, we have a limited understanding regarding how women entrepreneurs in this part of the world navigate the challenges they face. Research suggests that a significant challenge that family business owners face is the conflict that can emerge from the overlap of family and business roles. This paper explores how perceived family support can reduce the amount of conflict felt by women business owners in Slovakia. Results suggest that being part of a family business increases the perceptions of role conflict for women business owners. However, perceptions of family support diminish this feeling. Implications and future research directions are discussed.