Social enterprises as enabling platforms for women returning to work: a multidimensional capital-accumulation framework

Purpose This study has two primary objectives. First, it aims to explore the significance of working in social enterprises for women across different life stages who are seeking to re-enter the workforce and sustain employment. Second, it seeks to identify organisational characteristics that facilitate women’s transition back to paid work and promote their continued participation in the workforce. Design/methodology/approach Seven focus groups, comprising 23 women working in social enterprises in Hong Kong, were conducted. Inductive analysis explored themes regarding the meaning and significance of their social enterprise work and its role in facilitating their re-entry into the workforce. Findings Women working in social enterprises were found to accumulate five types of capital: identity, creative, cultural, social and familial. Additionally, three organisational characteristics that facilitate women’s re-entry into work and sustained employment were identified: life-stage-sensitive work scheduling, supportive leadership and participatory management. Research limitations/implications This study’s small sample size may affect its generalisability. Nonetheless, the organisational practices proposed in this study can be adopted to foster work–family harmony and promote long-term workforce participation among women across diverse life stages. Originality/value This study provides novel insights into how social enterprises in East Asia create value by enabling women’s reintegration into the labour market through the accumulation of multiple forms of capital. It advances our understanding of social enterprises’ contributions to gender-inclusive employment in a context where such empirical research is limited.