Cultural Narratives of Succession: Confucian Influences on Women’s Leadership in Chinese Family SMEs

Abstract

This research examines how Confucian values—such as family loyalty, respect for hierarchy, and collective harmony are represented in print and media portrayals of women in leadership roles within Chinese family-owned small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It looks at whether these values are framed as barriers that reinforce traditional gender roles or as enablers of women’s leadership in business. While research in Confucian societies has expanded, existing studies primarily address economic barriers (e.g., income disparities, limited business opportunities) and structural constraints (e.g., legal restrictions, family expectations), with comparatively little focus on the role of media in shaping public perceptions of female business leadership. This dissertation uses thematic analysis of five purposively selected media cases, chosen for their relevance to gendered leadership succession in Chinese family-owned SMEs. Cases were selected from an initial pool of 50 based on three key criteria: (1) SME family ownership, where family dynamics significantly influenced decision-making; (2) female leadership, with women occupying key leadership or decision-making roles; and (3) cultural alignment, where businesses demonstrated Confucian values such as family loyalty and respect for hierarchy. The cases were drawn from newspapers, publications, and reports published between 2015 and 2025, a period marked by shifts in succession norms following the end of China’s one-child policy. NVivo was used to identify recurring and culturally significant themes across the selected cases.

The analysis of five media cases shows seven recurring themes across the cases: sacrificial succession, quiet leadership, financial entry, emotional labour, earned trust, conditional acceptance, and quiet exit or resistance. These themes suggest that daughters' succession was rarely granted by default but instead negotiated through culturally embedded acts of duty, deference, and quiet perseverance. These findings contribute to the literature by challenging simplified interpretations of daughters' roles in succession and highlighting how Confucian values are negotiated, rather than passively reproduced, in media portrayals of women's leadership.