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Men's business

Negotiating entrepreneurial business and family life

Swinburne University of Technology, dbowman{at}swin.edu.au

Entrepreneurs are mostly ignored by classical and neo-classical economic theory but they resonate as an archetype of neo-liberalism. Our understanding of the attitudes and practices of entrepreneurs tends to come from management literature and business journalism. Consequently, our understanding of entrepreneurial masculinity may reflect its portrayal more than its practice. This article draws on Bourdieu's concepts of fields, habitus and capitals to explore the fit or lack of fit of Australian male entrepreneurial habitus with the fields of entrepreneurial business and family. I suggest that entrepreneurial business reflects and reinforces a gendered habitus that conflicts with changing expectations of family as a site for intimate, egalitarian relationships.

Key Words: Bourdieu • business • entrepreneurs • family • gender • masculinity

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Journal of Sociology, Vol. 43, No. 4, 385-400 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1440783307083232


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