The Widow-Entrepreneur: an overlooked stakeholder in the transmission of family businesses
This article aims at understanding why some wives take over the management of the family business upon the death of their husband. It first addresses this issue based on the history of a twentieth century widow entrepreneur. A second part goes beyond this single case, based on a historical study spanning three centuries. It emphasizes the importance of this phenomenon. A final part, based on the evidence presented previously, identifies four factors: law, economic necessity, family conflicts, skills acquired while working in the shadow of the husband. The conclusion draws the managerial implications of this research.