Mentoring for women: the key to breaking glass ceilings?

In 2023, in companies on the Canadian stock market, there were more CEOs named Michael (7) than women CEOs (6). This lack of female representation will not fix itself; let’s explore how female mentoring can improve this situation.

As a woman-owned company, this topic is of particular interest to us at Elo. How can we help women break through the glass ceiling? Mentoring is a very powerful tool that can benefit everyone, but there are several unique benefits to mentoring women.

Benefits of mentoring

Introducing a mentoring culture into a company gives the company a competitive advantage, while improving the well-being of its employees. The benefits of mentoring are numerous, including the following:

• Accelerated career development for both mentors and mentees
• Growing employees with increased confidence in themselves and their skills
• New employees who take on their positions more quickly
  Employees who are more engaged at work and with their employer
• Development of soft-skills, such as leadership, emotional intelligence, teamwork, etc.

Interested in exploring the potential of mentoring in your organization?

The benefits of mentoring for women

It is important to remember that the priority when looking for a mentor is to find a qualified person who meets your personal needs and expectations, regardless of gender. That said, some issues that are particularly female may require the perspective of another woman who has been there herself.

Even in 2023, women are generally underrepresented in management positions. Since mentoring is a way to improve one’s leadership skills, the support and guidance of a mentor can help women stand out from their colleagues and secure more management roles.

According to a study by KPMG, women are very susceptible to impostor syndrome – especially when they are in a minority position. Good news: mentoring can help with confidence. Becoming a mentor can help with impostor syndrome, and having a mentor who can share her experience as a leader is a great asset to building confidence and charting a course.

Women also generally have fewer networking opportunities than men. In some cases, mentoring can be a real tool to reduce this inequality. For example, a mentor could make her network available to her mentee or introduce her to new opportunities, while offering advice on the etiquette to follow at networking events. However, the exchange of contacts remains at the discretion of the participants.

Since women are underrepresented in high-level roles, it can be difficult to find a role model that appeals to them. For this reason, some women will seek out a female mentor, with whom they can more easily identify. By inspiring the next generation of women and showing them that it is possible to achieve leadership positions, mentors can help break through this glass ceiling.

Overall, mentoring women may require greater awareness of the unique challenges and biases they face in the workplace, as well as a focus on building confidence, developing leadership skills, and creating networking opportunities.

Women’s issues in the workplace

As mentioned earlier, it can be beneficial to have a mentor who better understands some of the challenges women face. Here are a few examples:

1. Work-life balance: Women can definitely experience particular work-life balance issues, such as balancing the societal role of mother and professional.
2. Gender bias: Women often face gender biases and stereotypes that can limit their opportunities and confidence in the workplace. A mentor who is aware of these biases can provide a caring perspective that helps to address and overcome them.
3. Workplace dynamics: Gender dynamics are quite typical and unfortunately prevalent in many workplaces. A female mentor can be more sensitive to these and help her mentee develop strategies to break through these dynamics.
4. Encourage risk-taking: A mentor can encourage a woman to take risks and step out of her comfort zone, which is an important aspect of leadership. By providing support and reassurance, she instills confidence and pushes to overcome fears and take on new challenges. This is empowerment.

Are you considering implementing a women’s mentoring program in your organization? Book a free meeting with Lyne, our co-founder, to learn how Elo can help you.