Dapula Chumasande, Brownhilder Neneh
Abstract
The decision to start and run a business may generate positive and negative effects on the women entrepreneur’s ability to balance their work and family life, which can adversely affect their performance. As a result, women entrepreneurs make decisions based on the level of importance they ascribe to their work and family roles. While research has examined the antecedents and consequences of family-work conflict (FWC), limited attention has been placed on the specific role that work-family centrality plays in moderating the relationship between FWC and performance. Using a sample of 343 women entrepreneurs in the Free State from the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (Bloemfontein, Botshabelo and Thaba ‘Nchu) in South Africa, this study examined the moderating role of work-family centrality on the relationship between FWC and the performance of women-owned businesses. The results indicate that work family centrality moderates the relationship between FWC and performance such that women entrepreneurs with high work family centrality will perform better regardless of the FWC they experience. This study culminates with possible managerial and policy implications aimed at fostering the performance of women-owned businesses.