Cracks in the Glass Ceiling: The Effects of Gender in Mentoring
Ragins, B. R., Hu, C., Wang, S., & Huang, J.-C. (2024). Mentors’ beliefs about protege advancement potential and gender in mentoring relationships. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 155, 104062.
Introduction
Ragins and colleagues (2024) provide a compelling examination of how mentors’ perceptions of their mentees’ advancement potential can influence career support and relational quality, with a particular focus on gender dynamics. By investigating whether gender composition within mentorship dyads influences the level of career support and relational respect experienced by mentees, the study challenges assumptions about the objectivity of mentor-provided career support.
Methods
Two field studies were conducted across various industries, using surveys to capture both mentors’ and mentees’ perspectives.
In Study 1, the authors focused on formal mentorship relationships, assessing whether mentors’ perceptions of their mentees’ advancement potential predicted the career support provided.
Study 2 extended these findings by including informal mentorship relationships, and examining relational quality indicators such as mutual respect and satisfaction.
Results
Results indicated that mentors’ perceptions of their mentees’ advancement potential significantly predicted the level of career support provided. This effect was observed in both formal and informal mentoring relationships, but formal mentees were particularly vulnerable to mentor biases.
High-potential mentees received more career support and experienced greater mutual respect from their mentors. In contrast, low-potential mentees—particularly those in formal programs—reported lower levels of career support and relational satisfaction.
Notably, while there was no overall pro-male bias in advancement ratings, gender composition effects emerged: female mentees assigned to male mentors experienced less respect and were less likely to be perceived as having high potential compared to their male counterparts.
Discussion
These findings emphasize the importance of recognizing implicit biases in mentorship programs. While formal mentoring is often designed to level the playing field, the study suggests that it may inadvertently reinforce disparities by privileging those already perceived as high-potential.
The results also highlight the critical role of respect in mentorship relationships—mentees who were not seen as high-potential often experienced less respect, which could have long-term consequences for career motivation and self-efficacy.
One of the most significant implications of this research is the impact on female mentees. While female mentees were not necessarily rated lower in advancement potential overall, those in male mentor-female mentee dyads reported less respect and support, suggesting that gendered perceptions still influence mentorship experiences.
Implications for Mentoring Programs
Organizations must critically evaluate their mentorship structures to ensure that all employees receive equitable support. Here are two key interventions:
- Mentor Training and Routine Assessment: Organizations should provide training to mentors to help them recognize and mitigate biases in their perceptions of mentees’ potential. Specific attention should be paid to biases across background characteristics like gender, race, ethnicity. Additionally programs should consider assessing relationship quality and mentee experience consistently over time, to ensure mentoring effectiveness for all dyads.
- Increased Access to Female Mentors: Given that female mentees in male-dominated mentorship dyads experienced lower respect, increasing access to female mentors could help mitigate some of these disparities. Mentoring programs may want to actively and intentionally recruit female mentors, especially if their programs serve majority female populations.
Read full article here
