Why Work and Family Boundaries Matter
Women-owned businesses contribute to household income, employment, and local economic activity. For women who are also wives and mothers, however, running a business can involve managing several responsibilities at the same time.
The researchers describe “mompreneurship” as entrepreneurship carried out alongside responsibilities as a wife and mother. When demands from business and family overlap, women may experience work–family boundary conflict. Such conflict can consume time, attention, emotional energy, and psychological resources, potentially making it more difficult to maintain a business over time.
Previous research has examined work–family conflict and entrepreneurship separately, but the mechanisms connecting these pressures with the long-term sustainability of women-owned businesses remain less clear. Azis, Junita A, and Nugroho focused on this issue among mompreneurs in Makassar, addressing a research gap in an emerging economic context.
How the Study Was Conducted
The researchers used a quantitative, cross-sectional survey involving 400 mompreneurs in Makassar. Participants were married women with at least one child who were actively managing a micro or small business that had operated for at least one year.
The participants were selected through purposive sampling. The questionnaire measured three main areas: work–family boundary conflict, entrepreneurial resilience, and sustainable mompreneurship. Each area was measured using five indicators on a five-point scale.
The researchers analyzed the responses using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. They examined the reliability and validity of the measures, tested relationships between the variables, and used bootstrapping to assess statistical significance.
The respondents represented a range of ages, education levels, business sectors, and business ages. Women aged 30–39 made up the largest age group at 43.25%. Nearly half of respondents, 49.75%, held a bachelor's degree. Fashion accounted for 21% of businesses, services 21%, culinary businesses 20.75%, other sectors 19%, and retail 18.25%.
Key Findings
The analysis identified three statistically significant relationships:
- Work–family boundary conflict and entrepreneurial resilience: The relationship was negative, with a coefficient of −0.471 (p < 0.001). Higher levels of conflict were associated with lower entrepreneurial resilience.
- Work–family boundary conflict and sustainable mompreneurship: The relationship was also negative, with a coefficient of −0.202 (p < 0.001).
- Entrepreneurial resilience and sustainable mompreneurship: The relationship was positive, with a coefficient of 0.521 (p < 0.001).
The researchers also found that entrepreneurial resilience partly explained the relationship between work–family boundary conflict and sustainable mompreneurship. The indirect effect was −0.245, with a t-value of 5.489 and p < 0.001. Because both the direct and indirect relationships remained statistically significant, the researchers classified the result as partial mediation.
In practical terms, the findings suggest that work–family conflict is connected with business sustainability both directly and through its relationship with entrepreneurs' resilience. Resilience appears to help women continue operating their businesses despite challenges, but it does not completely remove the negative association between competing family and work demands.
The model explained 31.7% of the variation in sustainable mompreneurship and 16.3% of the variation in entrepreneurial resilience. These figures also indicate that other factors not included in the model contribute to business sustainability and resilience.
What the Findings Mean for Mompreneurs
For women managing both businesses and families, the results point to the importance of support that goes beyond financial capital or technical business skills.
The researchers suggest that entrepreneurship support programs could incorporate resilience-building, coping with setbacks, adapting to changing business conditions, workload management, boundary management, and coordination between family and business responsibilities. Policymakers supporting women-owned micro and small businesses may also need to consider the personal and family circumstances surrounding entrepreneurship.
According to Maghfirah Sari Azis, Eliza Junita A, and Anendha Destantyo Nugroho, entrepreneurial resilience represents an important mechanism for sustaining women-owned businesses when entrepreneurs face competing work and family demands. Their analysis also indicates that strengthening resilience alone may not be enough; the sources of work–family conflict themselves remain relevant to business sustainability.
The findings have implications for entrepreneurship education as well. Training programs for women entrepreneurs could address not only financial management and marketing, but also strategies for managing competing demands and responding to business setbacks.
Study Limitations
The researchers caution that the findings should be interpreted within the study's design and setting. Because the research used a cross-sectional survey, it cannot establish how the relationships develop over time. The sample was also limited to mompreneurs in Makassar, which may restrict how broadly the findings can be applied to other regions or populations.
The researchers recommend future studies examine additional factors, including digital capability, social support, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and government support. Comparisons based on business age, business sector, and education level could also provide a broader understanding of sustainable mompreneurship.
Author Profiles
Maghfirah Sari Azis — Department of Economic Education, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia. Corresponding author. Her work in this article focuses on entrepreneurship, work–family boundary conflict, entrepreneurial resilience, and sustainable mompreneurship.
Eliza Junita A — Department of Economic Education, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia. Her contribution to the article concerns the study of women entrepreneurship, work–family dynamics, resilience, and sustainable business activity.
Anendha Destantyo Nugroho — Tanjung Emas Maritime Meteorological Station, BMKG, Semarang, Indonesia. His contribution is part of the research team examining the relationship between work–family conflict, entrepreneurial resilience, and sustainable mompreneurship.
The article does not specify academic degrees for the authors, so no degrees are added here.
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