A new wave of research underscores the growing appeal of entrepreneurship among mothers, revealing a complex interplay between professional ambition, family responsibilities, and systemic barriers—especially within traditionally demanding fields like medicine. Drawing from a recent report by The Irish Times, women who choose to establish their own businesses cite freedom, better work-life balance, and greater autonomy as top motivations, yet continue to face pronounced hurdles including access to funding, childcare, and lingering cultural biases within the business and medical landscapes (irishtimes.com).
The significance of these findings goes beyond Western societies, resonating deeply for Thai readers, where evolving gender roles and economic pressures are reshaping traditional family and career dynamics. In an age where global surveys—like Mastercard’s 2024 pan-European study—show 29% of Gen Z women identify as entrepreneurs, compared to just 17% of Gen X women, the trend points to a generational shift in attitudes toward self-employment. This movement is mirrored in Thailand, where data from the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) show a steady increase in women-led startups, particularly in health, beauty, and technology sectors (osmepsme.com).
Yet, for both Irish and Thai women, barriers persist. The research highlights confidence gaps and childcare as chief concerns. In Europe, 31% of women cite lack of confidence, compared to 20% of men, as a reason not to start a business. Childcare is likewise a critical barrier, with 14% of women business owners in the survey identifying it as an obstacle—markedly higher than the 3% among male entrepreneurs. In Thailand, the issues echo: a 2023 survey by the Federation of Thai Industries found that urban mothers struggle to access affordable, reliable childcare, and frequently sideline career growth as a result (bangkokpost.com).
The story of two Irish consultant dermatologists who founded their own successful clinic underscores both the challenges and the rewards. After self-funding their 2019 launch, these co-founders grew their operation to include a successful supplement brand and a specialist skin surgery center. Their projected 40% annual growth is a testament to entrepreneurial drive, but their journey also reveals how family support, flexibility, and determined navigation of gendered expectations are essential for success. They cite lack of access to funding as a persistent global hurdle; despite recent progress, less than 2% of global venture capital goes to female founders (weforum.org), and venture capitalists continue to display bias—asking women about risk and profitability, while men are grilled only on growth potential.
For Thai women, these insights have practical resonance. Female business owners here similarly face skepticism from financial institutions and investors. According to the Bank of Thailand, women-led enterprises are 30% less likely to secure business loans than male counterparts—a disparity tied to both cultural perceptions and gendered stereotypes about ambition and risk tolerance (bot.or.th). Further, the double burden of career and caregiving remains formidable; research from Chulalongkorn University’s Social Research Institute emphasizes that without expanded, affordable childcare and flexible work practices, many women cannot realize their entrepreneurial aspirations (chula.ac.th).
Expert perspectives highlight the potential for constructive change. One founder interviewed in The Irish Times advocates for normalization of parental ambition—in both mothers and fathers—arguing that parents’ resilience, focus, and empathy are business assets, not liabilities. She calls for more female-led investment teams and flexible funding models to counteract entrenched biases. The other founder stresses that ambition should not be seen as antithetical to good parenting, and that both family and career can thrive with adequate support.
Central to their argument is the need for comprehensive, accessible childcare and proportional governmental support. They advocate for tax-deductible or subsidized childcare, more extensive parental leave for self-employed individuals—a gap mirrored in Thailand, where social security and parental leave entitlements are insufficient for entrepreneurs and the informally employed. They also suggest educational reforms, such as school hours better aligned with working parents and more robust after-school programmes, to alleviate the juggling act that fuels burnout and career stagnation for mothers.
Thai society has its own cultural echoes. Traditional concepts of motherhood as synonymous with self-sacrifice still persist, but are being challenged by a growing cohort of professional women who refuse to choose between career ambition and family devotion. As in Ireland, the “badge of total personal sacrifice” is losing its luster. Some prominent Thai hospitals and companies have begun experimenting with on-site childcare and flexible scheduling, but such practices remain the exception rather than the rule (thairath.co.th). Meanwhile, women’s business networks—from Bangkok’s WE Committee to regional chambers—are advocating for policy change and peer support.
Looking ahead, ongoing demographic and economic changes mean that the balance between entrepreneurship and caregiving will become an increasingly pressing challenge for Thai families. The rapidly aging population, urban migration, and declining birth rates mean that more families depend on dual-incomes, yet traditional childcare supports are eroding. For Thailand to fully benefit from the entrepreneurial aspirations of mothers, experts say, both policy innovation and attitudinal change are required. Actions such as expanding public childcare, offering tax incentives for female-run businesses, and fostering an investment culture that prizes diverse leadership can unlock a new era of inclusive growth.
Thai readers facing similar dilemmas can draw several lessons from this research. First, the drive for work-life balance and autonomy through entrepreneurship is not a luxury, but a legitimate strategy supported by international trends. Second, seeking out or building supportive networks—be they family, community, or professional—is crucial in surmounting entrenched barriers. Third, advocacy matters: making the case for better childcare, flexible workplaces, and fair funding is essential to create the systemic shift required for real choice.
For policymakers, business leaders, and educators, the imperative is clear. Collaborations between government, the private sector, and local communities to deliver affordable, high-quality childcare and equitable business support will not only unlock the full economic potential of women, but also contribute to happier, more resilient Thai families.
For further details and global context on this research, readers may consult the original article in The Irish Times (irishtimes.com) as well as supporting data from Mastercard on generational entrepreneurship trends (mastercard.com) and the Bank of Thailand on SME finance (bot.or.th).