How citizen spouses help immigrant entrepreneurs pull up their bootstraps: The case study of married Thai immigrant entrepreneurs in Japan

The significance of citizen spouses of immigrants is often downplayed in the success of immigrant entrepreneurs in the settlement country. This study employs in-depth interviews with four Thai immigrant entrepreneurs to illustrate the immense roles of Japanese citizen spouses in helping their businesses. We argue that the assumption that immigrant entrepreneurs are “pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps” does not provide a broader view of the process to their success. The findings show examples of how Japanese citizen spouses make an enormous contribution to the venture of their Thai spouse's business by helping them overcome structural barriers as well as legal issues in Japan.