A poisoned apple? Does flexible working help or hinder women entrepreneurs?

The aim of the paper is to address a key debate within the entrepreneurship literature: while some researchers propose entrepreneurship as a flexible working alternative for women, others argue that home domain commitments impact negatively on business aspirations and performance. Given that obtaining greater autonomy has been recognised as a key entrepreneurial motivation, particularly among women as a means of managing dual responsibilities for both business and domestic/family environments, gaining further clarity in this area has significance for policy makers, business support practitioners and women entrepreneurs themselves. The current paper offers an alternative view drawing upon the findings of empirical, qualitative research involving practising entrepreneurs (women entrepreneurs).