Balancing Family Strain and Business Drive: How Entrepreneurial Orientation Fuels Women’s Success

What is it about?

This study examines how work-to-family conflict—when business demands interfere with family responsibilities—affects firm performance among women entrepreneurs. Guided by Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, it argues that the emotional strain created by competing demands depletes vital psychological resources, leading to emotional exhaustion that undermines decision quality, creativity, and persistence. As exhaustion grows, entrepreneurs may lose focus and energy, diminishing the overall performance of their ventures. Using survey data from women business owners in Chile, this research underscores the vital role of entrepreneurial orientation (EO)—a strategic mindset of innovation, risk-taking, and proactivity—in reducing the negative effects of work-family conflict. EO helps women reframe family-related strain as a challenge rather than a burden. Those high in EO better conserve emotional energy and sustain engagement, turning stress into motivation and strategic focus to maintain firm performance despite ongoing tensions. By integrating emotional and strategic perspectives, this study offers a holistic understanding of how women entrepreneurs manage the dual pressures of family and business. It underscores that success in women-led ventures depends not only on opportunity pursuit but also on the ability to manage emotional resources effectively. Supporting entrepreneurial orientation development can thus empower women to turn personal strain into professional growth and business resilience.

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Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is unique in revealing how entrepreneurial orientation buffers the negative effects of work-to-family conflict on firm performance by mitigating emotional exhaustion. It advances COR theory by identifying EO as a strategic asset that replenishes emotional energy and strengthens persistence under stress. By linking emotional well-being to strategic posture, it reframes women’s entrepreneurship as a dynamic process of resource management across personal and professional domains. It is also timely, given that many women entrepreneurs in Chile and similar contexts face increasing pressures from family responsibilities while striving to grow their ventures in competitive markets. As boundaries between work and family continue to blur, understanding how entrepreneurial mindsets protect against emotional depletion is essential. The findings offer valuable guidance for policymakers and entrepreneurship programs seeking to enhance women’s business sustainability by fostering both emotional resilience and strategic innovation.