Gender differences in entrepreneurs’ work–family conflict and well-being during COVID-19: Moderating effects of gender-egalitarian contexts

Abstract

Just as for most of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic had detrimental impacts on the well-being, mental health, and productivity of entrepreneurs. To delineate these effects, the current study draws from social role theory to predict that women entrepreneurs exhibit a diminished sense of well-being compared with their male counterparts, due to the greater work–family conflict women experienced during the pandemic. The authors leverage gender egalitarianism theory to argue further that in gender-egalitarian contexts, in which women are socioeconomically, institutionally, and culturally more equal to men, this gender gap in psychological well-being, caused by work– family conflict, may be mitigated. A sample of 5,754 entrepreneurs from 27 European countries who completed Eurofound’s Living, Working and COVID-19 e-Survey confirms these predictions, with notable implications for research and practice.