March is Women’s History Month, an important opportunity to celebrate the momentous gains for women in the workplace and in society at large over the last century. The progress is undeniable: women now make up almost half of the U.S. workforce and now hold about 35% of leadership positions. Additionally, statistics from Gallup suggest that women report higher workplace engagement than men (34% vs. 28%) and are more motivated to pursue growth opportunities (20% vs. 16%).
These figures show clear and positive progress toward striking down the negative stereotypes of the female worker while allowing women to not only achieve their goals but smash through whatever glass ceilings that may have held them back in the past.
Not everything is positive, though.
In tech, the story is very different, and the stats underpin substantial gaps that persist and often go unaddressed. The National Center for Women & Information Technology reports that women make up just 26–28% of the tech workforce, while a McKinsey report showed women hold only about 15–20% of senior tech leadership roles. In more technical roles, such as engineering and development, women account for a mere 20% of the workforce.
Addressing the gender gap in tech requires a comprehensive societal shift with countless moving parts. One of those parts is mentorship – and not just the surface-level, facile mentorship that is often found at U.S. companies. Not all mentorship is effective: real impact comes from intentional, structured, and advocacy-driven support, which, when properly leveraged, offer women in tech a greater chance of success and overcoming the burdens and odds that the U.S. system seemingly stacks against them.
So, with an eye on the importance of Women’s History Month, let’s look at the issues with mentorship and what can be done to fix them!
1. The Problem with Traditional Mentorship
Traditional mentorship programs are often informal, inconsistent, and over-reliant on general guidance at the expense of real, tangible outcomes. In essence, many mentorship programs focus too much on career advice instead of connections with influential advocates who can open doors for a mentee.
It’s well-known that under-represented populations and women see greater career progress through effective mentorship that goes beyond simple advice and enters the realm of genuine connection and networking.
The Harvard Business Review cited an epidemic of women being “over-mentored but under-sponsored.” It posits that without sponsorship or active advocacy from senior leaders, mentorship alone often fails to lead to meaningful career advancement.
2. What Effective Mentorship Actually Looks Like
Addressing the pitfalls of an average mentorship program is often difficult due to the fact that a “good” program can mask big deficiencies in actual effectiveness.
Effective mentorship is more than casual advice. Effective mentorship meets the mentee on a meaningful, emotional, more resonant level, establishing clear goals, defined expectations, measurable milestones, and check-ins for accountability. In short, a good mentorship program is passive, while an effective mentorship program involves active sponsorship.
Just like any other under-represented group, women benefit from safe, inclusive spaces where they can openly discuss their goals, such as promotions, and their challenges, such as imposter syndrome. Whether through shared lived experiences or trained allies, this trust is essential for mentorship that truly supports growth.
3. Good Mentorship is Good Business
Mentorship is good business. Gallup has quantitatively proven over and over again that companies with strong mentorship and sponsorship programs see higher retention and employee engagement, due primarily to the fact that their employees feel empowered and valued.
Effective structured mentorship also strengthens the leadership pipeline, placing more diverse and qualified executives into roles that would otherwise have been inaccessible without mentorship.
Companies and advocates must work hard to smash through the biases against women in leadership positions, because it has been shown repeatedly that diverse teams drive innovation and better financial outcomes. Boston Consulting Group found that companies with gender-diverse management teams are 19% more likely to outperform peers in revenue.
Repeat it: Good mentorship and gender diversity improve the bottom line!
Final Thoughts
Progress doesn’t happen by accident, folks. It happens when intention and action overcome the passivity we constantly see in mentorship programs. Women’s History Month is a great chance to look back at how far women have come. But more important is using this time to recognize what we’re willing to change moving forward. If companies truly want to close the gap in tech, mentorship can’t remain passive, performative, or optional. It has to be strategic and it has to passionately advocate for women seeking help in a world seemingly intent on leaving them behind.
Real access, real sponsorship, and real opportunity! Women in tech are more than corporate participants. They are just as transformative as the men who have traditionally held these spots for years.