Children And Family: A Barrier Or An Incentive To Female Self-Employment In Norway?

The under-representation of women in entrepreneurship and self-employment is common across cultures and countries, but the reasons for this pattern are still not well understood. This case study of Norway examines the influence of women's family and household situation in this respect, including the presence of children and their ages, the role of the partner and the household's financial resources. The results indicate that while children do not hinder female self-employment, its propensity is negatively related to the partner's working hours and positively related to him being self-employed himself. The causal direction of these relationships is difficult to establish, however.