The role of husbands: Support or barrier to womens entrepreneurial start-ups?

Traditional approach in academic research in women entrepreneurship has been merely focused on internal factors in the start-up decision making process, business environmental barriers and difficulties for entrepreneurial women to balance work and family life. Several support programs have been designed worldwide to promote and support female entrepreneurship with pure empirical evidence on their efficiency and possible positive impact on start-up and survival rate of new businesses. On the other hand, the role of the informal support, mostly by family and spouses has been so far neglected in scholar research. The sample of 121 women start-ups was surveyed to investigate the role of family support with emphasis on spouses. Results confirmed that support of husbands is very important. Mostly, emotional support (belief and empowerment) is exposed; however, financial contribution seems to be highly appreciated: majority of female entrepreneurs’ husbands had stabile income in the start-up period, being employed elsewhere rather than running their own businesses. More responsibilities which spouses were ready to take over regarding the home responsibilities (that is, childcare) should also not be neglected in the system of support to their entrepreneurial wives. Although, more important for all, women with children appreciated spouses help and assistance to a higher extent.   Key words: Entrepreneurship, women, family support, life cycle, household obligations, child-care, start-up.