Les copreneurs sont des couples partageant à la fois un engagement conjugal (marital ou pseudo-marital) et un engagement entrepreneurial (la propriété et/ou la gestion et/ou la responsabilité d’une entreprise). Malgré leur prégnance historique et contemporaine dans le tissu économique des entreprises familiales, leur étude scientifique a été négligée voire oubliée.La présente recherche se propose de combler cette lacune en mobilisant un socle théorique original et globalisant (Théorie Générale des Systèmes et Théorie de l’Echange Social) qui permet de construire un modèle conceptuel du copreneuriat. Ce modèle est ensuite mis à l’épreuve empiriquement grâce à quinze études de cas précédées d’une réflexion épistémologique et méthodologique poussée.Les résultats et la discussion montrent que le système « copreneurs » est, encore aujourd’hui, largement organisé selon le schéma sexué traditionnel de répartition des rôles. Le partage du pouvoir y est marqué par une opposition entre pouvoir formel et pouvoir informel, le premier étant majoritairement attribué à l’homme. Cette organisation sexuée fait apparaître les concepts de « caring » et de sacrifice, et crée une gouvernance « parentaliste ». La « soutenabilité » du modèle à travers le temps est aussi interrogée. Les interactions des copreneurs sont ensuite étudiées au prisme de la Théorie de l’Attachement et le concept novateur de « coupleness » est mis en évidence. Finalement, ces spécificités copreneuriales sont appréhendées en termes de gains et de coûts, et au regard du possible calcul effectué par les copreneurs quant à l’utilité de leur situation. L’ensemble pose les prémices d’une Théorie Globale du Copreneuriat. / Copreneurs are couples who share both a conjugal commitment (pseudo-marital or marital) and an entrepreneurial commitment (ownership and / or management and / or responsibility of a company). Despite their historical and contemporary resonance in the economic fabric of family businesses, scientific study has been neglected or even forgotten.This research aims to fill this gap by mobilizing an original and global theoretical basis (the General Systems Theory and the Social Exchange Theory) which allow to build a conceptual model of copreneurship. This model is then tested empirically through fifteen case studies preceded by an epistemological and methodological reflection.The results and discussion show firstly that the system "copreneurs" is still today widely held in the traditional gendered pattern of distribution of roles. The distribution of power resulting is marked by an opposition between formal power and informal power, the first being overwhelmingly attributed to man. This gendered organization also shows the concepts of "caring" and sacrifice of women copreneur, and is the foundation of governance that can be described as "parentaliste". The system's complexity poses in turn the question of "sustainability" of the model over time. Copreneurs interactions are studied through the prism of Attachment Theory while the entire system concept allows to highlight the innovative concept of "coupleness". Finally, all these specificities of copreneuriale governance are apprehended in terms of gains and costs, and in view of a possible calculation by the copreneurs about the usefulness of their situation. All poses the beginnings of a Global Theory of Copreneurship.Keywords:

The purpose of my research is to examine how copreneurial couples make sense of their lived experience of working in a copreneurial business and shape their mutual identity. The research context is copreneurs operating micro-businesses in the Greek leisure and tourism industry. Given the size of the tourism industry worldwide and the fact that many businesses within this sector are family-owned, this is an important area of inquiry. The aim is twofold: 1. To build theory in the field of entrepreneurship by focusing specifically on the undertheorized topic of how copreneurs understand and shape their identity and responsibilities within copreneurial businesses 2. To bring an under-utilized methodology to entrepreneurship studies, that of interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), as a means of enhancing the understanding of the lived experience of copreneurs. Drawing on phenomenological philosophy, IPA foregrounds the meanings research participants give to their experience and therefore offers rich interpretations from copreneurial couples While taking an idiographic approach, which focuses on the first-person experience of copreneurs in a particular context, the findings will resonate with other copreneurs. The contribution of this research therefore lies in advancing our understanding of copreneurship and familial entrepreneurship by elucidating the interrelationship between personal and business partnerships. The study makes visible the often invisible recursive links between paid work and family life for men and women