Mothering and Entrepreneurship: Experiences of Single Women in St. Lucia

Over the past three decades, there has been a growing interest in the role of female entrepreneurship as a missing link in the economic quagmire facing developing countries. However, while this attention has been marked by noted policy initiatives that seek to link current research to some measure of capacity building for women in that sector, wider research suggests that women combining work and family roles often experience taken-for-granted complications in establishing some degree of work-life balance. These are often neglected in entrepreneurial policy formation. Despite this, little research within developing regions like the Caribbean investigates the complexities related to the experiences and practices of navigating the combined roles of work and family for vulnerable subgroups like single mothers. The aim of this study is to explore, through in-depth phenomenological interviews, the situated nature of single mothering for female entrepreneurs in St. Lucia. Findings point to moral mothering as central to their perception, experiences, and decisions related to mothering and entrepreneurship. Findings also suggest that these women adopt creative strategies for working within these domains. Implications for future research are also discussed.