65% of women attribute imposter syndrome to holding them back

Research by leading global mentoring platform, PushFar, has shown that 40% of women wouldn’t consider becoming a mentor, and almost a third say they don’t have the confidence to take on mentoring.

When asked what factors hold them back from becoming a mentor, PushFar’s research shows that 22% of women don’t think they would be good at mentoring, this is in comparison to 13% of men who feel the same way. Similar results are present with 1 in 5 women saying they are unsure what advice they could give compared to just 12% of men.

66% of women attribute imposter syndrome, which is defined as “self-doubt of intellect, skills, or accomplishments” by The National Institutes of Health, as the reason holding them back from becoming a mentor.

Ed Johnson, co-founder and CEO of PushFar, is calling for mentoring to be accessible for all, and wants to educate on how everyone holds valuable skills they could bring to mentoring. Ed comments “the findings from our research highlight the very reasons that PushFar was founded. There should never be a barrier to both being and receiving mentoring.

“As someone who dropped out of school, didn’t go to university and delved straight into the world of work at 17, I would have benefited greatly from a mentor to guide me. However, it was a near-impossible task to find one, which is why I was inspired to set up a platform to make mentoring available to all. By making the process of becoming a mentor, or finding one, open and accessible we can begin to change the narrative.”

“This National Mentoring Day I am highlighting the benefits that mentoring can bring to both mentor and mentee. Mentoring has evolved from the traditional dynamic of older people mentoring younger; multi-generational reverse mentoring has now shown itself to be an incredibly powerful tool opening it up even further.

“If you are interested in becoming a mentor or mentee but have felt something holding you back, I can’t advocate enough for just giving it a go. It could be a decision that revolutionises your life in and out of work, as well as someone else’s.”

To find out more about the benefits of mentoring visit www.pushfar.com