Mumpreneurs: Motivational factors for Swedish mothers to start their own businesses

The presented master thesis is an exploratory study on the motivational factors of the Swedish Mumpreneurs to start a business. Providing a nuanced and detailed review of the evolution of the literature on female entrepreneurship, the phenomenon of ‘Mumpreneurship’ is being introduced as a new, internationally widespread concept. Following a close look at this particular contestable subject, the study shows how different internal and external factors can influence the motivation of the Swedish mothers with small children to enter self-employment. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the motivational factors of Swedish female entrepreneurs with children, so-called ‘Mumpreneurs’, to establish a business. Design/methodology/approach: A small sample of businesses with mothers as founders in the boundaries of Sweden were surveyed, with a prepared interview guide, focusing on the factors of motivation, marital status, children, family and challenges. Findings: The empirical findings of the study draw conclusions on the basis of 8 in-depth interviews conducted with Swedish Mumpreneurs. The findings of the exploratory research indicate that various internal and external factors motivate Swedish mothers with small children to replace previous employment with entrepreneurial activities. It can be argued from the results of the presented paper, that the need for independence and self-achievement, high levels of stress and lack of job opportunities, flexibility and happiness, are all instrumental in the investigation of the motivational factors. Research limitations/implications: The study has been conducted using a relatively small sample of women entrepreneurs with children in Sweden. Therefore, the findings are not representative and cannot be generalized for the whole population. The topic of interest would benefit if a research were conducted in a longer time span and replicate in range of different industries in order to further test the results