The percentage of women in the workplace and CEO and leadership positions continues to grow. Fortune reported a growth of 10.4% over the past year, with 52 female-run businesses in 2024. Part of this growth can be attributed to the increase in initiatives such as mentoring for women which helps women to overcome structural barriers and see their true potential in the workplace.
However, women continue to face challenges in the workplace. In this article, we explore why mentoring for women is more important than ever, how it can help, and the benefits of same-gender or cross-gender mentors.
Why Mentoring for Women is Needed Now More than Ever
Whilst men are likely to advance their careers irrespective of mentoring support, women tend to need mentoring because they face more barriers to advancement. Despite the progress in gender equality, many women continue to face challenges in the workplace such as:
- Pay Inequality: According to the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency, the national gender pay gap in 2023 is 12%, with women earning 88 cents for every dollar that men earn.
- Career Advancement: In an earlier report, the WGEA shared that women are underrepresented in leadership roles across all industries, with only 19.4% CEOs and 32.5% in key management positions.
- Work-Life Balance: There always seems to be a stigma of mothers getting criticised for working, while fathers are being praised. Another report revealed that mothers have additional disadvantages compared to childless women and men.
Women continue to face structural barriers and systematic issues including gender bias and negative attitudes and behaviours. While these issues cannot be fixed overnight, mentoring is a proven practical solution that can empower women and equip them with the skills they need to become leaders in their organisations.
How Does Mentoring Help Women?
Mentoring is a powerful tool that helps people to realise their potential. Research shows that women with a mentor are more likely to pursue a professional career, earn higher salaries and hold positions of leadership. A mentor also helps women to set measurable, achievable goals, and hold you to account.
How does mentoring help women?
- Creates a Supportive Network of Role Models: Mentors provide more than just guidance—they create a network of support that women can rely on throughout their careers. This network can be invaluable for navigating challenges and seizing opportunities.
- Builds Confidence and New Skills: A mentor supports the mentee by helping them develop leadership skills, assertiveness, and self-confidence. These are invaluable skills that can only be gained through experience.
- Offers Personalised Guidance for Career Advancement: Unlike attending a training workshop or watching e-learning modules, mentoring provides personalised guidance and advice to the mentee. With the support of a mentor, women are more likely to take on new challenges, seek promotions, and advance in their careers.
Why Do Women Need Female Mentors?
A mentor, regardless of gender, provides valuable support and guidance to a mentee. However, research shows the majority of female mentees tend to prefer female mentors. Having a mentor of the same gender who is similar in age, gender or ethnicity can establish a basis for understanding experiences or challenges specific to the mentee. Women may feel a stronger sense of connection and ease of communication to talk about specific challenges for women. For example, managing pregnancy or gender bias in male dominated fields.
Here’s why:
- Shared Experiences: Most of the time, female mentors have gone through the same challenges that female mentees have, such as gender workplace bias, career progression issues, and work-life balance. Hearing how they navigated these challenges can be transformational for the mentee. While men can provide advice on these topics, it may be harder for them to relate to and empathize with these struggles.
- Women Empower Women: Female mentors can share their personal experiences to empower a mentee. They can teach their mentees how to overcome imposter syndrome and negotiate for equal pay, two common issues that women struggle with in their careers.
- Creates a Safe Space: At times, mentees need to talk about gender-specific issues without fear of being misunderstood or judged. Having a female mentor allows them to get comfortable and have a safe space to talk about such things.
The benefits of male and non-binary mentors
Contrary to the points above, there are also reasons why women need male and non-binary mentors, or the best mentors for them, regardless of gender. Research shows that over 30% of women do not require or desire to specifically be matched with a female mentor. While some attribute this to 'queen bee syndrome,' it is more likely due to the fact that there are still fewer women in senior-level roles, making female mentors harder to find.
Engaging in cross-gender mentoring relationships (where a female mentee is mentored by a male mentor) can contribute to gender inclusiveness, which involves "both men and women in advancing women's leadership". As such, mentoring coordinators should ideally give mentees a choice in selecting whether they'd prefer a female mentor, or the best mentor, regardless of gender.
Cross-gender mentoring can be very effective. Research shows that the extent to which cross-gender mentoring is effective depends on the quality of the relationship. In line with what you would expect, if the mentee has a high-quality relationship with their cross-gender mentor, they will likely achieve successful outcomes including career support, psychological support and positive role modelling.
Male mentors have the following advantages:
- Representation in Sponsor/Leadership Roles. In male-dominated industries, there are often still few women in senior leadership roles. This means that men have the power within an organisation to support, develop, promote and hire. As such, if men are not mentoring women, it will prolong gender inequality in the workplace.
- Diversity in Thought. A good mentee-mentor match is not just based on similarity but also compatible differences. Diversity in genders adds diversity of thought and can support growth in the relationship.
- Wider Network Access: Male mentors may have access to different or broader professional networks, particularly in male-dominated fields, which can be beneficial for career advancement.
- Breaking Gender Stereotypes: Mentorship from men or non-binary individuals can help break down gender stereotypes and promote gender equality in professional settings. Mentorship from male, female, and non-binary members can provide a balanced perspective, helping mentees navigate a wide range of scenarios and challenges effectively.
While there are clear advantages to matching female mentees with female mentors, it's essential to offer them the choice to be paired with the mentor who best fits their needs, regardless of gender. A mentee's decision will depend on personal preferences and goals. If a mentee seeks support for issues unique to women, they may opt for a female mentor. However, if their focus is on broader career advancement, they are likely to choose the mentor who is the best fit, regardless of gender.
Despite the clear benefits of mentoring, unfortunately, 63% of women have never had a formal mentor. Organisations should establish formal mentoring programs to support women, because when they do, women are more likely to engage in mentoring, overcome gender barriers and progress into leadership positions.
How Brancher Supports Female Leaders
Brancher has worked with amazing women from Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA), Women in Media, Women in Trades and Manufacturing and other organizations that promote the need for mentoring programs for women.
Our software matches mentors and mentees based on values and personality, which has resulted in over 90% matching satisfaction.
Call us today to learn more about how we can transform the lives of your workforce through the power of mentorship.
Sources:
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