Member Article

Bringing home the bacon, but still doing the dishes

Despite female entrepreneurs feeling more empowered than when they were employees, most still have to do a day’s housework when they finish working on their business, according to a new poll. According to the report commissioned by Prowess, an organisation supporting female entrepreneurs, 82.3% of businesswomen are still expected to cook the evening meal for the family.

A further 72.8% said they were still in charge of the doing the laundry. Only 10.8% said their partners looked after the children and cooked dinner. These figures come despite the fact that 40% of respondents said their business was the only source of income for the household. More than a third of respondents said they started their own business to gain more control over their life, and a further 34% said they wanted to be their own boss.

Pippa Kitaruth from Intuit, who conducted the survey, said that despite the extra workload, “being your own boss is becoming an increasingly attractive option for many women, especially new mums.”

Erika Watson, executive director of Prowess, said: “Starting your own business can be a really empowering experience for many women and the research demonstrates that women often start a business to gain greater control over their lives and to work more flexibly.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .