Man or Woman

I picked up an old magazine from 2010 and found an article on women in the workplace. I’d like to think most of the article is out of date but the following 3 points I thought I’d put out there for comment.

Women with mentors advance more quickly in their careers than those without mentors.

I tend to agree with this, with the caveat that it’s got to be the right mentor. There are a fair few mentoring programmes out there so no shortage of individuals willing to share their experiences with you.
Many mentoring programmes are run by volunteers but this doesn’t mean you need to take what you get. If you clash with your mentor then best thing to do is politely walk away. There’s absolutely no point in having session after session with someone who is bringing nothing to the table.

Women with male mentors have higher salaries than those with women mentors.

Why? What would a man bring to the table that a women couldn’t? I’m curious about this one and would actually like to see the raw data to try and fathom out why this might be. If anyone knows why this would be the case I’d be delighted if you’d enlighten me.

Women with greater opportunities for professional networking are more successful and satisfied with their jobs than women with fewer networking opportunities.

This I agree with and I think it’s particularly important for women working on their own. It’s all too easy to get stuck in a silo but getting out and talking to others in the same situation can really help. Networking isn’t just about “selling” to those in the room, it’s really about establishing and building relationships and if those relationships are nurtured that’s when the magic happens. Never underestimate the opportunity to network and make a connection.
If you’re based in or around Glasgow then there are 2 networking groups that I recommend and on a regular basis: Scottish Women in Business and Think Different Business Banter.  Both are fairly relaxed so why not check them out – hope to see you there.