Mentoring

Why Mentoring?

Supporting women academics to advance is one of WiSER’s core aims. The research referenced below suggests that mentoring can be particularly valuable for women in SET, and demonstrates its effectiveness in retaining and advancing women in academia.

What are the benefits?

Given the comparatively small number of women Professors and Associate Professors in SET disciplines within Trinity (currently 22, compared with 83 men) women academics in earlier stages of their careers may have few senior female role models within their department to look to as models for success. Mentoring creates links between senior and early-career academics across different departments, and can help to fill this gap.

A mentor can be a valuable resource at many crucial stages throughout your career, particularly when facing new challenges or demanding situations such as:

• Applying for a promotion
• Applying for funding
• Taking on new teaching or administrative responsibilities
• Developing research ideas
• Considering taking a career break, or returning to College following one
• Trying to raise your profile within your department or the SET field as a whole
• Feeling isolated within your field

The Academic Evidence

Below are links to a series of resources and reports which detail the academic evidence behind the use of mentoring as a career-advancement tool.

Gibson, Sharon K. (2006) “Mentoring of Women Faculty: The Role of Organizational Politics and Culture”, Innovative Higher Education, Vol. 31, No. 1

Wunsch, Marie A. (1993) “Mentoring probationary women academics: A pilot programme for career development”, Studies in Higher Education, 18:3, 349-362.