Navigating belonging as a Muslim Moroccan female entrepreneur

Abstract

ABSTRACT Entrepreneurship and families are inextricably intertwined. However, there is limited research on how female ethnic minority entrepreneurs achieve belonging and how they navigate the values and norms of their family, the ethnic community, and, for instance, clients. This article theorizes the processes of entrepreneurial belonging through an empirically informed ethnography of Muslim Moroccan female entrepreneurs (MMFEs) in the Netherlands. The analysis unveils the perceptions and contradictions regarding achieving belonging through navigating gender, ethnicity, and religion, but also relationships with family, community, and other stakeholders. It demonstrates how MMFEs must pierce through societal and professional stereotypes to establish themselves as entrepreneurs.