Self-Employment Dynamics and Gender Factors
Summary
Self-employment has emerged as a vital component of labour markets worldwide, offering autonomy, income diversification and the potential to reconcile work and family commitments. Yet patterns of entry, performance and exit diverge sharply along gender lines. Women and men often pursue self-employment for different motives: women more frequently cite flexibility and family considerations, while men are driven by opportunity motives and growth ambitions. Household dynamics, life-course events and social norms shape these trajectories. Parenthood, partnership status and the distribution of domestic responsibilities influence the timing and sustainability of self-employment, with women disproportionately assuming care duties that can limit their business expansion. Conversely, male self-employed individuals may benefit from greater access to networks, finance and institutional support. Emerging evidence highlights the interplay between policy environments—such as parental leave provisions, childcare availability and welfare systems—and gender gaps in self-employment. Comparative studies reveal that supportive family policies can mitigate trade-offs between earning and care, yet persistent biases in credit markets, mentoring opportunities and gendered expectations continue to shape outcomes. Understanding these dynamics is essential for designing inclusive entrepreneurship programmes and for harnessing self-employment as a driver of economic resilience and social cohesion.
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Self-Employment Dynamics and Gender Factors publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in self-employment dynamics and gender factors across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Self-employment: Engagement in economic activity on one’s own account, either as a sole proprietor or business owner, without formal wage-and-salary employment.
Solo self-employment: A form of self-employment in which the individual operates without hiring employees, often seeking flexibility over scale.
Linked-lives perspective: A sociological framework that examines how transitions in one household member’s life course influence others’ career and entrepreneurial choices.
Work–family conflict: Tension arising when demands of paid work and family responsibilities are mutually incompatible, influencing occupational decisions and job quality.
References
- Gendered transitions to self-employment and business ownership: a linked-lives perspective. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development (2024).
- Gender differences in solo self‐employment: Gendered flexibility and the effects of parenthood. Gender Work and Organization (2021).
- Female Solo Self-Employment in Germany: The Role of Transitions and Learning From a Life Course Perspective. Social Inclusion (2022).
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