Identity work and intersectionality in entrepreneurship: how women of West-African descent in the Netherlands navigate barriers and opportunities
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2025-06-26
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en
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This research investigates how women entrepreneurs of West-African descent in the Netherlands engage in identity work while facing barriers in the entrepreneurial field. Although these women are increasingly active as business owners, they are often underrepresented in policy, research, and support systems that favour dominant, white, male, Western norms of entrepreneurship. Using a qualitative, discursive approach, twelve in-depth interviews were conducted to explore how participants navigate their gendered, ethnic, and social positioning. The results show that identity work is not just about fitting in, but about actively shaping how one is seen. Participants balance cultural expression with strategic conformity, using selective self-presentation and informal support networks to gain visibility and credibility. They frame entrepreneurship not only as economic activity but as a way to claim space, express values, and resist exclusion. This research contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship, gender, and ethnicity by showing how legitimacy is negotiated through language and emotion. It also strengthens intersectionality theory by demonstrating how overlapping social positions are lived and managed in practice. The results call for more inclusive policies and support systems that move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions and take seriously the complexity of intersectional entrepreneurial identity.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen