Female Entrepreneurs: The Meaning of Hubs for Normcritical Sustainable Enterprises
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Sophia Renemar Utbildning&Co working AB - Hera Hub Uppsala |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 360 000 |
| Project duration | May 2018 - January 2019 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | 2014-06304-en |
Purpose and goal
The project aim is to explore how hubs as social innovation organizations support norm-critical female entrepreneurship to achieve decent sustainable work (UN Goal 2030).
Expected results and effects
Hubs have diverse ecologies, and their users have different understandings of what constitutes decent work. Hub support therefore needs to be tailored to the situational requirements. Key ingredients in the pilot hub: co-working; peer support; care as opposed to competition; emphasis on skills and knowledge sharing; gender dynamics of all-female environment. Relatively little emphasis on concrete decent work measures such as pensions, Insurance, sick leave. Female entrepreneurs recognize this absence and think there should be more state support for these measures.
Planned approach and implementation
The plan involved 5 stages: an analysis of the hub activities; in-depth interviews with hub users and owners; workshops with experts and researchers, hub users, hub owners, and funders; an international comparative analysis of hub development (Spain-Sweden); and dissemination through presentations and publications (in progress). Using a norm-critical approach that questions assumtions about female entrepreneurs as risk-averse, we found them to be risk-aware and strategic in their business development, with clear goals that integrate work and life to achieve sustainability.