WORK LIFE BALANCE AS A PANACEA FOR INNOVATIVE CAPACITY OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

Women in modern times are faced with the task of managing their traditional domestic roles and work responsibilities. Striking a balance between these roles is increasingly challenging especially for women entrepreneurs who are solely responsible for the success and performance of their businesses. The inability to balance these roles could lead to psychological distress which could hamper mental health, creative reasoning and innovative capacity. Hence, the objective of this study is to examine how work-life balance impacts on innovativeness of women entrepreneurs using a thematic analysis. The study adopted a qualitative research approach to enhance the insight into the issue of work-life balance and innovative capacity of women entrepreneurs in Lagos state Nigeria. Multistage sampling was adopted in selecting 10 women entrepreneurs who are members of the Nigeria Union of tailors in Lagos State while data for the study was collected using semi-structured interviews as the primary method of data collection. Responses from the interview were transcribed, coded and analysed thematically using Nvivo 12. The findings of the thematic analysis reveal that women’s aspirations to improve their innovative capacity is often frustrated by the pressure that comes from balancing so many roles at the same time. This is also compounded by issues such as societal and patriarchal norms, which are deeply ingrained in the culture. It was concluded that women entrepreneur’s innovative capacity is usually constrained by their domestic roles and this is compounded by cultural issues such as patriarchal norms and unsupportive spouses. The study recommended that women entrepreneurs should adopt work life balance strategies which could assist them in improving their innovativeness.