Daughters in Family Business: Doctoral Research

As most of you know Leslie Dashew has conducted a program for Women in Family Business for the past 16 years (for 2012, go to: http://www.lesliedashew.com/events.html) .  Sharing the lessons among women who own, work in or share the family connection to family businesses has been an important contribution to women. 

The presence of women in family businesses has increased significantly over the past 3 decades.  In stark contrast to the days when a family business was more likely to be sold than to place a daughter at the helm, approximately 60% of family businesses in the United States now have women in upper management positions.

So as more daughters participate in their family’s business, what is their experience like? Case profiles and small research studies have given us glimpses into the benefits and challenges that some daughters face as they balance family life and work responsibilities. However, we still do not have the complete picture of what most daughters in family businesses are currently facing.

We thought you might like to help support research that is being conducted to help complete the picture:

As a doctorate of psychology student at Chestnut Hill College, I am interested in the emotional and mental well-being of daughters working in family businesses. Many family business consultants and behavioral health practitioners are not aware of the conflicting messages and obligations that often face daughters who work in family businesses. “We need your full attention on this division,” clashes with “When are we going to have a grandchild?”

In an effort to accomplish the two objectives of obtaining a broader understanding of daughters working in family businesses, as well as educating practitioners who may be called upon to support them, I have chose to focus my doctoral dissertation research on the family and work dynamics facing daughters. Unlike past studies, this is a larger scale research effort with the goal of obtaining feedback from at least 300 daughters who are working in their family businesses in the United States.

I greatly appreciate the Aspen Family Business Group for allowing me to present information about my dissertation research on daughters in family businesses. If you are interested in participating in the short on-line survey, or would like to refer a daughter working in a family business, please visit www.womeninfamilybusiness.com to learn more about this research effort and submit a request for a survey link. All responses are anonymous. Thank you in advance for your support of this important research effort.

Lesley Huff, MS

Doctorate of Psychology Student, Chestnut Hill College

We hope you will offer your perspective and tell others about it as well.