This research was part of my master’s studies which was conducted between Spring and Fall of 2019. On September 9, 2019, my final report was received and submitted to the School of Leadership Studies as approved. In January 2020, I was conferred the degree of Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University.

You may download the final report here. An associated presentation (pdf) highlights the key findings and recommendations from this research.

TL;DR

The action research part of this work questioned how a system, connected by a common thread of being responsible for local economic development activity, could positively support women, aged 40-64, whose careers had been disrupted. The findings & recommendations from this research were intentionally localized and reflected the community partners that I worked with.

AND.

This observation is the one that will continue to drive my research further:

After a career disruption, 80% of interviewees turned to entrepreneurship out of necessity, rather than desire.

100% of them did not refer to themselves as an ‘entrepreneur’.

For posterity, you may see how the original website here.

Acknowledgements

This research could not have been completed without the voices of the women who chose to share their experiences by responding through an online survey, and by agreeing to be interviewed. They honoured me by trusting me with their stories and their vulnerabilities, and they will forever have my deepest gratitude. Special thanks go to my research partner, Denise Christopherson, CEO of the YWCA of Hamilton who believed in the value of the question, the action of gathering these women’s stories, and the quest of creating positive social change. I am grateful for the support of the leaders of my community partner organizations, David Carter of Innovation Factory (IF), Keanin Loomis of Hamilton Chamber of Commerce (HCC), and Kristin Huigenbois of the City of Hamilton’s Small Business Enterprise Center (now Hamilton Business Centre), who saw the value in the research, and to Andrea Davies of the YWCA, Brigitte Huard of IF, and Marie Nash of HCC for doing all the leg work and amplifying the call-to-action and sharing it amongst their networks. Notable thanks to my inquiry team member Nick Diduck, whose support as a friend and learning partner was untiring and unwavering. My sincere thanks go to my academic supervisor, Marie Graf, for her encouragement and expertise in helping me craft and present a research product that I am proud of. Lastly, my husband, Victor Schulman Dupuis is the one that is most directly responsible for this research. His encouragement and support, financially, materially, and emotionally ensured that I had the space and resources needed to set forth on this academic journey two years ago and bring light to this important question. We should all be so lucky to be surrounded by such privilege and love.