Digital Entrepreneurship and Gendered Boundaries: Technology, Work–Life Conflict, and Well‐Being
通过访谈毛里求斯女性小微企业主，发现个人技术虽带来灵活性和成本节约，但也模糊工作与家庭边界，加剧压力和疲劳，性别角色和制度支持在其中起调节作用。
ABSTRACT This study explores how women entrepreneurs in a resource‐constrained setting adopt and experience personal technology for business purposes within the broader context of digital transformation. Drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and work–life border theory (WLBT), qualitative data were collected through 32 semi‐structured interviews with women entrepreneurs operating micro and small enterprises in Mauritius. Findings reveal that perceived usefulness, ease of use, and institutional support drive the adoption of personal devices, enabling flexibility, cost savings, and improved responsiveness to clients. However, constant connectivity also blurs boundaries between work and family life, heightening stress, emotional fatigue, and security concerns, particularly in the absence of technical support. These dynamics unfold in gendered contexts shaped by cultural expectations and caregiving responsibilities, with technology simultaneously supporting business needs while intensifying work–life conflict. Building on these insights, this study proposes a conceptual model highlighting personal technology's dual impact on business performance and well‐being, as well as the moderating and mitigating roles of gender norms, structural constraints, and support systems. The findings contribute to scholarship on gender and digital entrepreneurship, offering implications for gender‐sensitive policies that promote equitable and supportive technology adoption in similar Global South (GS) contexts.