Voicing high-growth women entrepreneurial leaders in a postfeminist context

In a neoliberal environment valorizing entrepreneurialism while reproducing masculine representations of entrepreneurship, experienced high-growth women entrepreneurial leaders remain underexplored, particularly regarding postfeminist discourse that foregrounds individual agency, sex differences, makeover paradigm and commodified femininity. This study investigates how experienced high-growth women entrepreneurial leaders perceive and navigate gender norms within a postfeminist context. Using an interpretative qualitative design grounded in poststructuralist feminist epistemology, we conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with French women entrepreneurs leading high-growth SMEs followed by discourse analysis to assess postfeminist assumptions. Findings reveal three discursive poles: tempered entrepreneurial leadership (compliance), tactical entrepreneurial leadership (norm navigation), and defiant entrepreneurial leadership (emancipatory experimentation). A dynamic and nuanced model of women entrepreneurial leadership discourses is proposed. It suggests that adherence to masculine norms generally aligned with stronger postfeminist discourse, yet notable discrepancies emerged, with some norm-adherent leaders rejecting postfeminist framings and some norm-critical leaders endorsing them. Furthermore, it highlights the long journey from conformity to resistance of women entrepreneurial leaders. The study advances theorization of women’s entrepreneurial leadership discourses by linking gendered norm navigation to postfeminist sensibilities and highlights implications for support mechanisms and policy designs.