The curse of being a mumpreneur
Becky Coote
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“a woman who combines running a business enterprise with looking after her children”
If you go by the dictionary definition, then I am a quintessential mumpreneur. I’ve only been self-employed since having my middle child. As I write this my 3-month-old baby is sleeping in her cot behind me. I’m not shy about sharing my personal life and anecdotes of my family life on my professional networks. My target clients are women in a similar position to me or the next step down the line. As I said, the quintessential mumpreneur.
However, I have an issue with the term mumpreneur.
That issue is that it feels the term pigeonholes me as a mum. Now don’t get me wrong, I love being a mum and it does define an awful lot of my life at the moment. But why does my work have to be defined by being a mum?
I also feel that the term diminishes what I can achieve. Yes, not every client will be happy that I work at home when my children are around. But so far no client has ever commented on the quality of my work, in fact, most are amazed when I’m on the phone to them that there is silence in the background (thank you bribery and Paw Patrol!)
As far as I’m concerned my achievements and abilities are on par with any man and it irks me that there needs to be a label on what I do just because I have children.
But, there’s always a but, I understand that perhaps the word is used to try and describe the struggle that comes with being a working mum, trying to build a business and look after children. Trust me, I understand that struggle. There’s the argument that the struggle is different for men and women (don’t worry I’m not going to digress into a discussion around stereotypical gender roles in modern society!) My gripe with mumpreneur if it’s being used to describe that struggle is what’s the equivalent word for a man who combines running a business enterprise with looking after his children? Dadpreneur?
If there isn’t a need for a term to describe the male version, then is the term mumpreneur needed? I’d love to hear other people’s opinions on this.
Do you relate to being a mumpreneur or do you describe yourself in a different way?
Content writer | Second pair of eyes for organisations on a mission to make people's personal and professional lives better.
4 年I hate the term. I don't even use the term entrepreneur.? I run a freelance business. I'm a writer. I'm a content marketer. The fact that I'm a mum doesn't factor into it - except for the fact that I can multi-task like no-one's business!
Organisational psychologist, Mind-Body coach
4 年thought-provoking! In times of transition (which these still are, I mean by this the transition to an equal perception of man & woman's qualities), these terms are often employed to accentuate the fact that it IS possible to be a powerful mompreneur and a badge of honour to do so. I believe these terms exists, only because there is still no equal value given to mumpreneurs and dadpreneurs. So it's annoying, because we feel like... it shouldn't need to be a thing. But it still is. I wear these terms as a badge of honour, though I do not use them actively too, to be honest ;)
Therapist & Counsellor at Freedom Counselling ?? Comms Pro ??
4 年I hate the term. Every time I see it I recoil. It's similar to Girl Boss which feels like a condescending pat on the head for women giving real jobs a go... utterly patronising.?
?? Stylish ?? Strategic ?? Successful | Copywriting, Consultancy, Campaigns and Cool Stuff | Brand Collaborations | Digital Marketing for successful solopreneurs and small businesses with big plans... ??
4 年I'm with you on this one Becky. ??
Helping solo business owners to scale | Master your to-do lists, professionalise your biz, and bring more ideas to life | 15 years' experience to bolt onto your business | Business Consultant & OBM | Detail is my jam ??
4 年I don't have children but I can't stand the term Mumpreneur, for the very same reasons as you. I think it sounds like they're doing a half-assed job which they absolutely are not.