According to Ragins & Scandura, (1994, p. 957) indicated that mentoring relationships are widely recognised as a key career resource in organisations. Dreher and Ash (1990) state that mentoring is related to promotions, while Scandura (1992) indicated that mentoring is related to career mobility. Though, Fagenson (1989) stated that mentoring is related to career satisfaction. Mentoring relationships are important for everyone that aspires for career advancement, but they are even more important for women (Research Focus, 2009).
According to Kanter (1977) stated that female mentors can assist other women to overcome barriers to career advancement. It is therefore important for female executives to have female mentors who can serve as their
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According to Ragins & Cotton, (1991) state that the female to female mentorship is said to have an additional benefit of not having negative sexual connotation that a female to male mentorship relationship may elicit. Ragins and Scandura (1994) indicated that women are as willing as men to mentor others. However, Parker & Kram (1993) indicated that token women in top management are unwilling to mentor because they do not want to share the limelight with others.
Lack of women in high ranking and influential roles is one of the reasons there is a lack of female mentors (Ragins & Scandura, 1994). The lack of mentors and role models is one of the challenges that women have in their working environment (Catalyst, 2001). This is affirmed by Mavin (2006) who indicated that the lack of women role models in key roles in academicia especially at Tshwane University of Technology is a challenge for executive women in this segment. It is easier for men to identify a mentor who can help with their career progression than it is for women (Mavin,
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Women can watch male leaders too, but they cannot learn how to navigate sex stereotypes from them (Collins & Singh, 2006). It is therefore women in top management who can serve as role models of leadership for women aspiring to get to these levels (Collins & Singh, 2006). Collins and Singh (2006) argued that the lack of women mentors and role models or even reference groups reinforces gender biases. Sealy and Singh (2006) suggested that it is important for women to be visible in top positions for others to realise that it is possible to break through the glass ceiling if one is good enough. This is confirmed by Collins and Singh (2006, p. 25) who stated that “the presence of women in top positions provides a message to ambitious women that although there are a few women in the most senior positions, it is possible for women to achieve their full potential and attain leadership