Demystifying Gender Differences in Mentoring:Theoretical Perspectives and Challenges for Future Research on Gender and Mentoring

Abstract

Issues of gender and mentoring are explored through several theoretical lenses—similarity-attraction paradigm, power dependence, social exchange, biological, and psychological theories—to provide a more comprehensive view of mentoring from a gender-based perspective. Issues related to gender and mentoring presented in past mentoring research and tenets from several theoretical bases are used to develop research propositions. The relevance of studying gender issues in mentoring is emphasized and suggestions for conducting research on gender and mentoring are presented.