Benefits of mentoring to Australian early career women managers and professionals
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine potential benefits from a mentor relationship to women managers and professionals in early career.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 98 women business school graduates using an anonymously completed questionnaire. Respondents identified a more senior individual who had a positive influence in the development of their career, provided descriptive characteristics of this relationship and described its character. Three mentor functions were considered: role model, career development and psychosocial.
Findings
There were few differences as a function of the gender of the mentor though respondents having female mentors indicated more role modeling and tended to report more psychosocial functions. Respondents reporting more mentor functions also indicated higher levels of job and career satisfaction, more optimistic future career prospects and fewer psychosomatic symptoms.
Originality/value
Adds to the understanding of mentoring by including psychological well‐being variables as potential mentoring outcomes.
Keywords
Citation
Burke, R.J., Burgess, Z. and Fallon, B. (2006), "Benefits of mentoring to Australian early career women managers and professionals", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 71-79. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610150610645986
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited