According to the United Nations (UN Women, 2022), at the current pace of progress, it could take nearly three centuries — approximately 286 years — to eliminate existing gender gaps.[1]
This projection highlights that, despite decades of progress, access to STEM fields persists with women making up only 26% of the STEM workforce.[2] On a global scale, women make up only 28.2% of the STEM workforce in 2024 compared to 47.3% in non-STEM fields (World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, 2024).[3]
The barriers are well documented: gender bias, unequal access to networks, and structural inequities in higher education and industry.[4]
Emerging academic literature highlights one powerful intervention: mentoring.[5] But it also reveals something crucial — mentoring looks different depending on a woman’s role in academia or STEM.
A recent study by García-Silva, Perez-Suarez, Zavala-Parrales, Meléndez-Anzures, and Dominguez (2025) examined this very topic, asking: How do women in managerial, research, teaching, and external academic/professional roles perceive the impact of mentoring on their STEM careers? [6]
Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 19 women — including directive managers, researchers, university teachers, and external professionals — García-Silva et al., (2025) identified one meta-theme, four primary themes, and six subthemes describing motivations, barriers, and mentoring experiences.
Their findings show that mentoring goes far beyond simple career advice. For many, it was a lifeline and an essential tool for empowerment and professional growth. Understanding those differences is key to building STEM support strategies that actually work.
Lessons for Institutions and Leaders
Women experience mentoring differently by role. García-Silva et al. (2025) provide insights on how to design programs that are intentional, reciprocal, and role-responsive.
Taken together, emerging research suggests that mentoring is far from being one-directional. It reinforces the argument that mentoring should be intentional, reciprocal, and tailored rather than generic. Mentors and mentees alike described the process as one that generates a ripple effect beyond individual relationships.
The ways in which this value was experienced varied. For some, mentoring offered emotional support, whereas for others, it fostered skill development, leadership confidence, or a broader sense of social responsibility.
Thus, mentoring women in STEM is not simply about closing the gap in gender disparities. Rather, it is about cultivating an ecosystem of practice — a shared space which fosters trust, solidarity, and leadership across all roles. In particular, it’s a space where women’s visibility, support, and leadership are interwoven into the fabric of STEM, which then creates ripple effects far beyond individual relationships.
To learn more about mentorship program effectiveness, program design, best practices, and lessons learned in addressing the gender disparity in STEM, explore the research from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
In 2023, SWE conducted a qualitative study examining mentoring programs for women in STEM academia across four higher education institutions in Austria and Germany.
- Read the research report to explore best practices in mentoring program design and implementation.
- Read the academic paper presented at the 2024 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference for additional insights and lessons learned.
- Join the SWE Mentor Network, an exclusive members-only community for the facilitation of mentoring conversations.
