It can be said that women often struggle much more than men during the process of becoming an entrepreneur and managing a business. Although self-employment is liberating to some extent as it allows one to be his or her boss, create something out of nothing, and make lots of green without reporting to anyone, the process is very stressing to the system, not to mention the added pressure women entrepreneurs face given a number of roles they have to perform in their families and organizations.
The top causes of mental health problems include performance and productivity demands in a highly competitive and still patriarchal society. Currently, pressure and and stress affecting women entrepreneurs because of the urge to fight the stereotype that women cannot run businesses successfully. The so-called imposter phenomenon when people feel that success is because of luck and that at any moment it will turn out that they were mistaken, they are actually impostors, affects women most of all. This constant fear has an impact of making women feel that they have to work harder and longer in order to avoid failure and this causes burnout.
Another workload pressure which brings about mental pressure is the conflict between business and family responsibilities. When women are involved in entrepreneurship, they bear the burden of meeting the needs of the family through housekeeping, child care, as well as taking care of their husbands. This gives one the impression of multitasking in tasks that are demanding, hence experiences stress, feelings of being overwhelmed and emotional bugs.
Besides these, culture, social norms and prejudice prevailing in the society also tend to worsen these mental health issues. Women face doubt about their skills, few get funding and cannot get connected with successful business personalities or organizations. Such isolation is likely to enhance experiencing feelings of inferiority and help in the development of depression and anxiety.
In response, women entrepreneurs should look after themselves, get therapy, and affiliate with other females in business. Creating supportive communities of women where people can speak out their stories, get advice and support helps to decrease stress and improve mental health throughout the way of entrepreneurship. The positive approach to women’s mental health assists both the business and the feelings of the woman being an entrepreneur.
