Mothering and Entry into Entrepreneurship for Black and White Women

• In Event: 3520 - Section on Race, Gender, and Class Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 3. Workplace and Professions

Abstract

In this paper I present findings from my dissertation “Transforming Inequality into Opportunity: Race Gender and the Making of Women Entrepreneurs”, which explores Black and White women’s entry into entrepreneurship within marketing, communications and finance. In particular, I consider how women
understand their motivations for becoming an entrepreneur, as well as how these motivations
may shift across racial categories. I argue that Black women’s motivations for starting a business can produce multiple barriers for their ability to start and sustain their businesses. While issues related to gender shape White women’s decision to become an entrepreneur, issues related to both race and gender shape Black women’s decision to become a business owner. For both Black and White women, the concept of taking care of others, or mothering, is a key factor underlying their decision to start a business. However, for Black women only, mothering also entails
providing support for, and uplifting, communities of color (i.e. community mothering). Underlying practices of biological and community mothering are issues related to inequality in the labor market, specifically the ways in which organizations are both gendered and racialized spaces which privilege certain groups of workers over others. Yet, this support for families and communities can undermine women’s ability to grow their business. In particular, they may choose not to invest in their business because of their primary commitment to family and community. Additionally, they may also experience discrimination as working mothers, and as
owners of businesses that seek to empower communities of color.

Author

• Nakeisha Monique Cody, Simmons University