How mumpreneurs achieve high entrepreneurial opportunity recognition and development: Evidence from China

Abstract

There is a noticeable dearth of specific research focusing on female entrepreneurship, particularly concerning women with young children who play a crucial role in developing countries and exhibit higher levels of entrepreneurship compared to those without children. This study investigates the factors influencing entrepreneurial opportunity recognition and development (EORD) among Chinese mumpreneurs within the framework of the triadic reciprocal determinism theory. By employing a combination of multiple regression analysis, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, and necessary condition analysis, this study identifies the antecedent conditions that are both sufficient and necessary for recognising and developing an entrepreneurial opportunity. The findings indicate that innovativeness, network capability, social support, family interference with entrepreneurship, and digital entrepreneurship exert significant influences on the EORD process, and can be categorised into three distinct high EORD pathways. Notably, innovativeness emerges as a crucial factor in this process. Additionally, for mumpreneurs, the contextual factors embedded in the social structure must not be disregarded. Particularly within the traditional social division of labour system, society exerts a rigid impact on mumpreneurs, and the substantial familial responsibilities they bear also present challenges. However, amidst this predicament, digital technology creates new possibilities for them.