Because of the Business or Despite the Business?: The Intersection between Family and Enterprise for Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Galicia

Abstract

This paper analyses the strategies for family participation in businesses through the narratives of foreign and returnee entrepreneurs in Galicia. The intersection between business and family has been a central theme in the literature on immigrant entrepreneurship, where ‘family business’ and ‘immigrant business’ are two synonymous concepts. This field of research has revealed that the use of female labour within business activity is a key factor in the success of the business, but that women’s contribution to such success is largely invisible and their independence is hindered. On the other hand, the literature has studied how the participation of children in the business might impact negatively on their educational paths. This paper argues that women who run a business do not necessarily improve their opportunities for social and labour market integration or positive social mobility; and that the strategies by which children participate in the business is strongly linked to the parent’s perception of social mobility. The differential access to citizenship for returnees and foreigners has an impact on the entrepreneurial strategies of both groups. The narratives analysed in this paper have been obtained through 74 semi-structured interviews with returnee and foreign immigrant entrepreneurs in Galicia.