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The experience of career for women who own businesses

University of British Columbia

A qualitative phenomenological paradigm was utilized to explore the experience and meaning of career for women who own businesses. Ten women who owned businesses participated in this study. During individual, in-depth interviews, which were audio-taped, each woman described her experience of career as a business owner and told the story of how she came to own a business. The women reported that they experienced their careers evolving interdependently with their development as women, and the needs of their families. Nine common themes were drawn from the data using a thematic analysis procedure devised by Colaizzi (1978). The nine themes identified were: a sense of career as a representation of self; a sense of struggle to achieve a balanced life; the desire for or need for recognition or validation from themselves and others; a sense of being unique; a strong sense of independence and autonomy; the need for an interactive relationship with their environment; a strong sense of accountability for the progress, success and failure of their businesses; a sense of being influenced by the support or lack of support from others; and a strong sense of connection with and contribution to others through their work.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-01-31

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/4039

Counselling Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace