Holding up the sky together? Family support dynamics and gender in entrepreneurship in China

Abstract

Previous efforts to integrate culture and gender into a comprehensive theoretical framework for family support in entrepreneurship have fallen short. This study aims to clarify the influence of gender and culture on family support for women entrepreneurs in a patriarchal society. We use a qualitative approach, conducting 25 semi-structured interviews with Chinese women entrepreneurs who reflect on support from 81 family members. By conceptualizing family support and employing ideal-type analysis, we create a family-to-entrepreneurship support matrix that outlines four ideal types of family support for entrepreneurship. Our findings advance the literature by offering a more multidimensional view of family support, moving beyond simple categories to include three additional dimensions: family members’ approval (none or yes), their background (entrepreneurial or non-entrepreneurial), and their cultural embeddedness. Additionally, we highlight the role of individual family members–such as spouses, parents, and in-laws–in supporting entrepreneurship, which is often overlooked and provides deeper insights into the diverse roles family members play in women’s entrepreneurial journeys.