I’ve been interested and concerned about the low proportion of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) studies and professions for quite a long time. Why are there so few of them?!!! This issue should concern us more, both businessmen and businesswomen, since, according to Morgan Stanley’s study, “highly gender-diverse tech companies returned on average 5.4% more on an annual basis than the average yearly returns of their peers with less gender diversity”.
Just about a year ago, we discussed this issue with BETWEEN Technology’s Marketing squad. This little but hyperactive team, started looking for related initiatives and found M2m, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya’s mentoring programme, where UPC Polytechnic Women (Dones Politècniques de la UPC) encourage the empowerment and professional development of UPC female students and graduates, both at an academic and professional level, with the voluntary collaboration of mentors (women with an extensive professional career). I loved the idea and signed up as a mentor.
After the programme’s presentation and a coaching and mentoring training session with Eva Sánchez, I faced my first mentoring session with my Mentee. I must confess that I am really excited about the programme but that, at the same time, it imbues a certain sense of respect: Will she see me like a mature woman who is only telling old stories that have long outlived their freshness date? Will I talk too much? Will I be able to carry out active listening? Will my suggestions be of use to my Mentee?
Fortunately, the coaching training session gave me some guidelines so that, instead of instructing my Mentee (I hate when people do it to me), I could guide her to help her find her own answers/conclusions through questions. And, besides my inexperience and fears, I think that the first session with the Mentee went quite well.
In this first session I have learned (or remembered) that youth doesn’t imply a lack of judgement and, even, wisdom. I have also realised that my Mentee is a strong and curious woman with a brilliant future, I’m sure of that.
Still, it worries me that, in some unconscious way, she might be influenced by my prejudices, since we all have some.
That’s why I have decided to share the experience in this blog, to ask you for ideas, opinions and why not, criticism too. Not about the goals the Mentee sets and the decisions she makes, since that is private, but about my way of giving her support.