Working mothers are always expected to maintain the impossible act of balance between a “career woman” and a “good mother”. Society has high expectations from working mothers and the pandemic exposed that more than ever.
Like other salaried employees, mothers too were driven out of the workforce during the coronavirus pandemic. Interestingly, for many working mothers things changed in the post-pandemic world. Now they are more inclined to shift from rigid work arrangements to model that offers flexibility.
We’ve lost faith in the system and in traditional employment a long time ago—all the pandemic did is remind us that we can’t put our future or our children’s well-being in anyone else’s hands. The pandemic was a breaking point.
Therese Dozier, Founder, LUVSPUN
What Data Says
Research by Shopify concluded that working mothers are seeking to strike a healthier work-life balance as “mompreneurs” or mom entrepreneurs.1,532 parents participated in the survey conducted in the United States. Out of the total participants, 62 percent of mothers were interested in supplementing their income and over half of the moms showed at least some interest in starting something of their own.
“We’ve lost faith in the system and in traditional employment a long time ago—all the pandemic did is remind us that we can’t put our future or our children’s well-being in anyone else’s hands. The pandemic was a breaking point,” says Therese Dozier, founder of LUVSPUN and mother of two.
Part-time Entrepreneurship
Women with kids want to supplement their income but only as a side hustle. Out of 62 percent of mothers who seek to supplement their income, 70 percent of them want to do so on a part-time basis. On the other hand, men with children (58 percent) were more likely to supplement their income full-time as compared to part-time (42 percent).
Decades of research have concluded that women do more household work and childcare than men- so much so that working mothers are usually said to be doing a double shift. “As mothers, we have so much responsibility on our shoulders. We have to meal-plan, make sure everything is clean, and maintain our own jobs or businesses. We need more hours in the day,” says Pina Romolo, founder of Piccola Cucina and mother of two.
Usually, moms tend to think that if they can’t do it all or can’t completely devote themselves to work or family, they have failed. Though there are options that can improve the work-life balance of moms like affordable daycare and flexible work environments. However, there are certain psychological aspects that need to be addressed. According to Shopify’s research and interview, women feel pressured to do everything on their own but there are many who look to maintain the work-life balance that part gigs offer.
Prioritize Obligations Without Guilt
For working mothers who want to work part-time, entrepreneurship sounds appealing. By starting some business, they can prioritize their obligations without any guilt. According to Shopify, a part-time commitment by an independent business owner is enough to operate a successful business on its platform.
“I think there’s this idea that if you’re not doing it all the way, you’re not doing it at all,” says Joana Fraser, founder of mom-owned business LittleMore Organics. She started her business in April 2020, during the beginning of the pandemic, and temporarily scaled back to only sell on a local level.
“I can manage it part time. I’m still seeing patients a few days a week and running my business every other day, so it hasn’t been a sudden transition. You can ease into it,” she says.
Flexibility Is The Key
Single mothers, mothers with younger kids and women who don’t own any sort of business were more interested in starting their own venture. 22 percent of single mothers were “very interested” in starting a business as compared to 14 percent of married women with children.
Women with kids as old as five years or younger are more eager to start their own businesses, compared to women who have older children. Patrice, who launched her own business when her daughter was just eight months old, says, “As a single mom, you’re already doing everything on your own. You learn to not rely on anybody else. And you realize how much you’re capable of doing”.
You can manage your schedule and that’s the best part of being a mom entrepreneur. One can look after kids when they fall sick or when they need their mothers without getting penalized for it.
Though norms around flexibility are changing, mothers who take the benefits of flexible work environments often suffer negative career consequences. Some of the common biases faced by working mothers are low-performance evaluations, wage penalties or being “mommy-tracked” into junior-level positions. For women who can’t afford childcare and even don’t have the option to work from home, the obligations of continued childcare become unsustainable. Being an entrepreneur allows moms to make money from home while looking after their kids. In today’s digital world when technology can help with work flexibility, any business can become a home-based business.
Challenges Associated With Starting a Business
Lack of time, energy, financial resources or care infrastructure in place are some of the primary obstacles faced by working mothers. Meanwhile, there are also some perceived challenges that weigh heavily on mothers’ minds and acts as stumbling block. “Not knowing where to start” is a top challenge associated with starting a business. More women with kids cited ‘to have no idea where to begin’ as compared to their men counterparts.
- According to 55 percent of women with kids “finding the money for initial expenses” is a challenge associated with starting a business, as compared to 41 percent of men.
- 45 percent of mothers cite “not knowing where to start” as another challenge as compared to 29 percent of men with kids.
- 23 percent of women with kids say they have no clue regarding “overall business strategy” compared to 24 percent of their men counterparts.
Women want to sort out everything before they kickstart something. However, the truth lies in the fact that most of the entrepreneurs end up pivoting their businesses multiple times throughout their lifespan. We admit that planning is necessary but remember future is unpredictable. Hence, it is best to try something and adapt accordingly.
The Real Discomfort
For mothers, starting the entrepreneurial journey is taking a leap of faith—in themselves. And this particular thought itself can be quite discomforting for women who mostly put everyone else’s needs before their own.
“We set up these barriers for ourselves because we think things aren’t going to work. I used to tell myself ‘I’m a journalist, not a businesswoman.’ But that doesn’t mean anything. We’re all just learning as we go. The business world is constantly being reinvented. There are no rules,” says Patrice.
“Women have these restrictions that are unspoken. These voices in our head. Men can do whatever they want. They’ve been raised to feel that way. We haven’t. And we’re already bringing in less money than our male counterparts from our corporate gigs. I get why it seems risky to give up whatever financial security we have to start a business full-time,” says Therese.
While some financial concerns are real but there are certain misconceptions as well. Women make less money on average and have difficulty accessing capital than men is nothing but just a perceived challenge around the investment while starting a business. Print-on-demand and dropshipping are some of the business models that need little or no upfront investment. Also, moms can access funds with the help of Shopify Capital.
Women Entrepreneurship And Shopify
Shopify claims that at least 53 percent of entrepreneurs on its platform are women. According to the data, globally there are 413 million women entrepreneurs operating their businesses. Despite this, Shopify says that women entrepreneurs still face difficulties in raising venture capital. However, the bright side is that women merchants are earning more for “every dollar invested than their male counterparts”.
ALSO READ: Inspirational Entrepreneurial Journey of 3 Women Shopify Merchants
In September 2022, Shopify’s Merchant Success Team Lead – Key Accounts, Shopify Plus — Sheena Brady — quit her job to focus on her business, wellness tea brand Tease and take it to the next level. Eight years ago, Brady joined Shopify to earn “a little extra income” to support her small business.
“My friend Mark Hayes said I might make a decent freelance writer, publishing interviews about Shopify’s successful merchants since I was a merchant myself. Little did I know, that opportunity would morph into a wildly challenging yet rewarding journey growing as a leader, merchant, and human while getting to work with some of the most ambitious and amazing people on the planet,” she wrote on LinkedIn.
