Entrepreneurship offers women a path to empowerment in late-stage careers

Entrepreneurship offers women a chance to turn their age into a competitive advantage, finds new research from Aalto University School of Business.

Associate Professor Ewald Kibler, in collaboration with colleagues at Copenhagen Business School and Royal Holloway Business School, published an analysis of qualitative data gathered from in-depth interviews with late-career female entrepreneurs in the UK.

The interviews were conducted in three waves in 2010, 2016, and 2020, allowing the researchers a rich insight into the women’s entrepreneurial journeys over 11 years.

While each of the interviewees shared individual challenges related to launching, managing, and sometimes ending their ventures, four common themes emerged:

Critical consciousness: Greater awareness of life’s finite nature sparked the interviewees’ desires to challenge, instead of accept, dwindling job opportunities by launching their own ventures. The confidence they gained from doing this empowered them to advocate for women in similar positions.

Age as a resource: The interviewees built ventures based on their core capabilities and prior training. They turned age into a resource in their peers’ eyes by leveraging their professional experiences, creating a positive feedback loop that helped them solve problems and develop confidence in themselves and their capabilities.

Improved agency: Entrepreneurship can transform power dynamics for women by providing opportunities for self-determination. Affirming their capabilities boosted their professional identities and personal motivations, enabling them to take on roles as mentors and advocates.

Sense of achievement: Interviewees gained a sense of pride from setting and achieving their own goals, from pursuing work that held personal meaning, and in challenging stereotypes about their capabilities. In contrast, discontinuing entrepreneurial activities can lead to a loss of identity, agency, and confidence.

The findings have significant implications for women in later professional life, especially in the UK where the retirement age for women is due to be raised to 67 between 2026-2028.

The researchers show how older women struggling with reduced job opportunities can turn their age into an advantage and achieve autonomy through launching their own ventures.

This research was published in the academic journal Entrepreneurship & Regional Development.

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For more information, a copy of the study, or to speak with Associate Professor Ewald Kibler, contact Jamie Hose at BlueSky Education on jamie@bluesky-pr.com or call +44 (0)1582 790 706