Married and managing: the interplay of spousal support and role conflict among women entrepreneurs in patriarchal setups

Purpose This study explores the gendered dynamics of spousal support in women entrepreneurship, drawing on role theory and interviews with women entrepreneurs and their spouses in Pakistan. It reveals support as a relational construct shaped by mismatched expectations, social norms and internalised gender roles. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative research design, drawing on 20 in-depth interviews with 10 women entrepreneurs and 10 spouses based in Karachi, Pakistan. A phenomenological lens has been incorporated to understand lived experiences of both genders and how these experiences influence women entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial journeys. Findings The analysis reflects how gendered societal expectations in a patriarchal setup result in a complex relationship between women entrepreneurs and the support they receive (or do not receive) from their spouses. Our findings reveal that spousal support, although critical, serves a dual function, facilitating women entrepreneurship while implicitly limiting women from reaching their true potential in the entrepreneurial space. Originality/value By unpacking the crucial role a spouse plays in the life of a woman entrepreneur in Pakistan, this study offers a nuanced perspective on how spousal support can operate as conditional empowerment, enabling women's entrepreneurial participation while reinforcing gendered dependence, particularly in the Global South.