A validating business term for some mums, others see mumpreneur to be a condescending jibe towards hard-working business women.
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency explains only a quarter of the total Australian workforce are women who work fulltime. The rise of the mumpreneur has been touted as a way for women to throw off the shackles of the nine to five daily grind, to become their own boss who can work around their family’s needs. The reality though paints a very different picture.
Women leaving full-time employment to work for themselves has been attributed to inflexible workplaces, a lack of high-quality part-time jobs, and negative attitudes in the workplace towards women working part-time after starting a family.
Seen as a way for women to financially contribute to the household, the rise of the mumpreneur is serious business. Dr Meraiah Foley explains that home based business is one of the fastest growing business sectors. Mothers are up to three times more likely to be self-employed. The Queensland Minister for Employment and Small Business, Shannon Fentiman echoing this as “women now make up just over a third of Australian business operators”.
The idea of being your own boss, setting your hours and working around your family is attractive to many. It does, however, come with some long-term consequences that some have not thought about or choose to ignore.
Dr Foley’s research reveals that women who work for themselves take a pay cut to do so, with no sick leave or holiday pay and often no superannuation. In addition to the financial losses, many feel socially and professionally isolated.
A recent poll, on a popular Facebook group designed specifically for women in business to connect, reveals the disdain for the term ‘mumpreneur’. Provided with options as to how they feel about the term mumpreneur, mothers and business owners really let vent. The term ‘mumpreneur’ was succinctly summed up as being a term that is hated as it is “…Derogatory and condescending. “Oh look, she’s a mum TRYING to run a business. How cute” Unsurprisingly, the women suggested we begin calling fathers ‘dadpreneurs’ rather than entrepreneurs, founders, or CEOs and see how seriously they are taken in the boardroom.
The rise of mothers starting their own business is perhaps indicative of a societal trend that we need to change. Inflexible workplaces, limited part-time opportunities and few and/or expensive childcare options often lead women with no other choice but to work for themselves. Sarah Damaske offers a simple solution; “Creating better work environments will mean more women will stay at work and that stability will be better for mothers, families and the economy in the long run”.