Mentoring as a Strategy to Develop Women in Higher Education
Gewirtz (1998) describes social justice in action-oriented terms as the practice of the disruption of marginalization. In a previous publication, a colleague and I created a list of specific actions that disrupt traditional university practices and assert that these might also be useful to other women protégés in the field. We outlined strategies for career mentoring for women in higher education below that we envision:
- Develop Strength of Self – Those involved in the fitness culture understand that to be truly fit, one must make the foundation or core of the body strong. Similarly, to be able to successfully negotiate graduate school and the process toward securing a position in higher education, the most important goal for a protégé – one that supersedes all others – is to understand who she is, what she stands for, and how this sense of self can be utilized to her advantage. If you are in a position to mentor someone, actively seek a protégé and help her identify research and teaching interests that speak to her individuality rather than what might be more mainstream and readily acceptable by others in the field. Help your protégé gain self-confidence by buffering her when necessary and helping her stand on her own when appropriate. Help her identify her strengths and formulate a plan of improvement for her weaknesses. Give her opportunities to work with you on research and teaching projects. If you are a protégé, be proactive, work to make connections with faculty and network with those who have similar goals and who demonstrate that they are willing to spend time with you. Actively seek a mentor(s) . Be specific about what you need your mentor to help you with. Be specific about what you desire to gain from a mentoring relationship. Strive to be an academic weight lifter – slowly work all of your muscles and work toward additional weight. Seek balance so that all areas are strong.
- Grow a Core of Knowledge – Runners know that it is virtually impossible to get a good stride going if they lack knowledge about what constitutes a good stride, proper breathing and a competitive pace. Many who are new to running find it helpful to master best practices a few at a time. If you are a mentor, it is important for you to engage in “think alouds” with your protégé. Talk out loud about the academic culture, share knowledge (especially any hidden rules) explicitly and do not assume that your protégé understands the culture. Help your protégé develop knowledge a little at a time by sharing information, giving instructions, modeling, and then scaffolding as your protégé tries a task on her own. Teach your protégé to conduct research, write and disseminate this information through publications and presentations. Do not assume that she gained this knowledge through coursework. In essence, teach your protégé to be an academic runner who can go the distance and jump hurdles when necessary. If you are a protégé, ask questions, soak up knowledge from those who came before you, and respond to feedback positively. Your stride will eventually improve.
- Live and Respond to Life – Unquestionably, life can be difficult enough without negotiating graduate school or a first-time professorship along the way – especially for women as they are often expected to take on the bulk of family and home responsibilities in addition to work. It is crucial for mentors to show their protégés what successful juggling of home and work looks like. If mentors can not demonstrate this themselves, it is unlikely that their protégés will be able to either. Mentors might also let their protégés understand that when juggling, at least one ball will drop eventually (this could take the form of a project deadline not met, a child’s softball game missed, etc.). However, more importantly, it is helpful for protégés to know that the ball can be picked back up and thrown back into the mix when ready. If a protégé has a curveball thrown at her in regard to her home life, the mentor should acknowledge this and demonstrate care (the act of care is neither feminine nor masculine, but, rather, human), but also hold the protégé accountable in fulfilling responsibilities and help her negotiate a new process if necessary. Protégés must be honest with mentors when unexpected circumstances arise and ask for help.
- Be a Fisher of Women – Fishing can be enjoyed in many different ways whether you are seeking a specific type of fish with special bait or whether you are simply throwing a pole in the water ready for anything that comes to the surface. Mentoring can be this way as well. Social justice agendas for women demand that mentors specifically seek women and minorities and promote them due to lack of access to mentoring in the past to those except for a select few. Women mentors may seek women protégés who are like themselves for both the protégé’s and mentor’s benefit (i.e. Who doesn’t want to work with someone who has similar interests?). But, they may also seek women and minorities who have strengths and interests different from their own for the sole purpose of promoting someone who, otherwise, would not receive the benefits of mentoring. Both practices are acceptable and work toward promoting more equitable and socially just environments. The point is to get out there and fish for other women so that networks can be built for those that come after you. If a mentor demonstrates the act of fishing for other women, the protégé will likely also practice paying it forward when she is in the position to do so.