How the Gender Mentoring Program Is Dismantling Institutional Gender Inequality
Pellizzoni, S., De Bonis, G., Masullo, M. R., & Gargano, A. (2026). Mentoring as a transformative educational practice: Gender processes, inclusive leadership, and institutional change at INFN.
Introduction
Gender inequality in research institutions is structural—built into hiring practices, recognition patterns, and access to leadership—and recruiting more women does not fix it. Pellizzoni and colleagues (2026) examine the Gender Mentoring Programme (GMP) at Italy’s National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), launched in 2018 as the first gender-focused mentoring initiative at an Italian research institution. The program uses a “bifocal” model: supporting individual career development while simultaneously building participants’ awareness of the organizational norms that shape who gets seen, selected, and promoted.
Methods
The paper draws on seven years of records across three completed program editions. Data sources include participant journals, interviews, periodic progress reports, and structured group conversations in which mentees and mentors jointly identified institutional recommendations. This allowed the program to be evaluated and refined continuously rather than assessed only at the end.
Results
The GMP grew from 17 mentor-mentee pairs in 2018 to 19 pairs by 2024, with session length expanding from 12 to 18 months. Male participation increased from 0% in edition one to 16% by edition three. Mentors reported growing awareness of how everyday workplace moments—who speaks in meetings, who gets tapped for opportunities—are shaped by gender bias, and described changing their own behavior as a result.
Discussion
The authors argue that institutional change accumulates through relational shifts, not policy alone. The program reframes sponsorship as a leadership norm rather than an individual favor: the relevant question shifts from who has a sponsor to are we building a culture where sponsorship is expected of everyone with influence. The paper does not address generalizability beyond a single, highly specialized scientific institution, which is a considerable limitation for programs operating in different contexts.
Implications for Mentoring Programs
For programs serious about equity, the GMP offers a practical model worth examining. The authors offer two significant strategies: investing in mentors as more than just advisors and actively preparing them to notice and respond to the gendered dynamics in their own workplaces can extend a program’s reach and build an alumni network to keep the momentum going between cohorts.
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