King's College London

This research project is financed by the EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

The purpose of WEWell is to advance our understanding of women entrepreneurs’ wellbeing. We investigate how women entrepreneurs construct and experience wellbeing in relation to their work and role as entrepreneurs at different points in their life.

Background

Entrepreneurs’ wellbeing, stress and mental health are increasingly recognized as an important driver of entrepreneurial productivity, performance and venture success. Entrepreneurs who are well are more creative, while stress and burnout impair decision-making and can lead to venture failure. Despite the growing research and practical recognition of the importance of entrepreneurs’ mental wellbeing, there is little understanding of the challenges and opportunities for women to experience wellbeing through entrepreneurship. Women are not only underrepresented as entrepreneurs—only about one in three entrepreneurs is a woman—women entrepreneurs are also more likely to enter entrepreneurship for reasons other than purely financial, where entrepreneurship is often seen by them as a route to personal growth and fulfilment.

Project activities

The project will review existing literature on women entrepreneurs’ wellbeing as well gathering both qualitative (life story interviewing) and quantitative (diary study with multiple measurement points) data on wellbeing of women entrepreneurs with a focus on women entrepreneurs in the male-dominated sector of finance and banking. The project builds on earlier work by the researchers on the wellbeing of entrepreneurs and women’s entrepreneurship.

Drawing on the interdisciplinary expertise of the researcher team, the project will contribute to new theory by investigating wellbeing as a dynamic process at the intersection of gender, identity, and across the life course. Building on the deep understanding of women entrepreneurs’ wellbeing developed through the project, WEWELL will distil insights for different stakeholders about how women entrepreneurs’ wellbeing can be improved.