There's a dad for that! : naming men in work-life balance and entrepreneurial decision-making

Abstract

This thesis explores work-family balance in relation to entrepreneurial decision-making using men and masculinities literature as the lens of critical analysis. This research critically examines men’s subjective work-life balance experiences by evaluating their attempts to navigate between their fatherhood and entrepreneurial goals. There has been a flood of research since the introduction of Greenhaus and Beutell’s (1985) sources of conflict between work and family where the central focus is often women’s experiences (Hammer et al., 2011, Byron, 2005, Thompson et al., 1999). Many western countries, such as Canada, are attempting to create equal opportunities for both men and women at work and at home. This work highlights men as men by using men and masculinities as a lens for critiquing work-life balance and entrepreneurial decision-making to emphasise Canada’s shift in fatherhood ideologies and the political push to include men in work-life balance discussions. The findings of this research highlight some men’s approach to work-life balance and demonstrates the importance of using Hearn’s (2004) concept of the distinction aspect within the hegemony of men as a tool of critical analysis. This thesis builds on men and masculinities research by including competition and men’s interpretation of distinction. This finding demonstrates that both internal and external social hegemonic perceptions for gaining and maintaining power and control create an opportunity for some men to view work-life balance as a source of distinction. This thesis reveals that shifting ideologies concerning men’s domestic selves, hegemonic masculinities, and men’s power negotiations with other men and women are challenging traditional masculinities embedded in entrepreneurship.