Gender-responsive approaches in startup mentorship

One question that I’m often asked by companies is how they ought to manage the pairing process for their mentorship/sponsorship programs. The long and short of it is this: #mentorship programs (note that there isn’t a ton of research on #sponsorship programs because these are relatively new – reach out if you want to work with me on this question!) seem to work best (if we define best as mentor/mentee #satisfaction) when both parties have some sense of #choice in whom they are matched up with AND if mentors receive #training. But back to the pairing process. A new paper looks specifically at the preferences of mentees and finds that women have a huge #preference for same-gender mentor/mentee pairings, much more so than men. Yana Gallen and Melanie W. look at activity on an online college mentoring platform that connects current students with college alumni. They find that women students are 21% more likely to reach out to women alumna than are men students. This is true even though women mentors are 13% less likely to respond to messages from women students than are men mentors. Is this lack of responsiveness due to being overwhelmed with messages from women students? Not so; men and women mentors receive about the same number of messages (although who knows how many mentees they have off the platform). Gallen and Wasserman wondered how far this gendered preference would go. They conducted a study in which participants had to choose between men and women mentor pairings, but critically, they also varied the #occupation of the mentors (to see if students’ gender preferences would override preferences for matched occupation) and whether the participant had access to information about the mentor’s #quality (via ratings purportedly provided by prior mentees who had worked with the mentor). They find that women students will give up matching with a mentor in their desired occupation to work with a same-gender mentor. Meaning, shared gender matters more to them than shared occupation. However, information about mentor quality mattered; once students could see if mentors were rated as high or low quality by prior mentees, women students’ preference for same-gender mentors disappeared, choosing whichever mentor had higher ratings. What this suggests is that absent other information, women assume that women mentors are higher quality than men mentors. So, coming full circle, mentorship programmers ought to provide mentorship training that ensures that everyone has high quality mentors. Sharing that mentors have undergone this training could help allay concerns women mentees have about being matched with a cross-gender mentor (who would otherwise be presumed to provide lower quality mentorship). This would also be helpful because to the extent that women mentors tend to have more mentees than men mentors (what some consider part of the #gendertax), this could shift some of that burden. Link to the paper: https://lnkd.in/gm95qkm4

Despite equal talent, women still face unequal access to networks, capital, and visibility. That’s why women-only spaces matter. I used to wonder why “women-only” events exist. After attending a few, here’s what I learned: 💜 People shared salary strategies and feedback candidly- no performance tax. ✔️ Mentors and sponsors formed quickly because the trust barrier was lower. 🙍♀️ Women practiced high‑stakes conversations without the double bind. Key takeaways: ✔️ Mixed rooms aren’t always neutral. Women still experience more interruptions and higher standards to prove competence, often with lower pay. When we provide these spaces, we create: 😊 Psychological safety → honest conversations, real problem‑solving, and tangible outcomes (open salary talk, tough‑conversation practice, real sponsors). 📞 Dense networks → mentorship, sponsorship, and role models at every level. Founders meet investors without the performance tax, and mentors can be direct about the playbook. Leaders: fund and legitimize them. Allies: support outcomes and referrals. Organizers: share takeaways so the whole org benefits. #supportwomen #mentorship #boss #leadership

BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast #312: Leanne Robers: She Loves Tech, Founder-VC Gender Feedback Dynamics & Entrepreneur Psychology Leanne Robers, Cofounder and Co-CEO of She Loves Tech, and Jeremy Au 区汉辉 talked about three major highlights: 1. Foundational Journey: Leanne shares her personal journey from working at Siemens, to building multiple ventures like The Hedge Club and Comish, and how those cumulative experiences helped build She Loves Tech, first as a passion project, and eventually becoming the world's largest startup competition and acceleration program for women in tech. she aims to address the unique challenges that women tech founders face by providing them with tools, resources, and exposure to influential figures like Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, and Tim Draper. 2. Gender Dynamics & Supportive VC Relationship: They talk about the nuances of gender dynamics in the startup ecosystem, highlighting the challenges female founders often face when seeking and internalizing feedback from VCs. Leanne advises female founders to proactively seek feedback, not taking it personally, and using it positively. She also underscores the responsibility of male VCs to be empathetic and thoughtful in their approach, ensuring their feedback is both constructive and empowering.  3. Integrating Psychology into Entrepreneurship: Drawing from her profound respect for psychology and the role models in her life, especially her father, Leanne explains how understanding psychological concepts can be a game-changer in entrepreneurship. She says that understanding human behavior, motivation, and cognition has equipped her with unique insights into the challenges and opportunities women face in tech entrepreneurship. Integrating these principles has helped her tailor She Loves Tech's initiatives, ensuring they resonate on a deeper level with female founders, and providing them not just with business insights, but also with personal growth tools and strategies. They also touched on the significance of mental well-being for founders, the importance of building relationships in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, the courage to leave a stable job to pursue a passion project, and the role of communities in fostering innovation and growth. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://lnkd.in/gicbpjV5 #women #founders #shelovestech2023 #womenintech #StartupGenderDynamics #venturecapital #femalefounders #psychology #entrepreneurship #inclusivity