Analysis of Influence of Sponsorship Career Function of Mentorship on Women’s Leadership Advancement in Kenyan Universities

Abstract

Women working in Kenyan universities should be provided with the many benefits of sponsorship, a mentorship function. Mentors should for example give their mentees challenging assignments which prepare them for top leadership positions. But it is possible that women may not be getting this support from their mentors. Therefore, the researcher did this study for the purpose of establishing the influence of sponsorship on women’s leadership advancement in Kenyan universities. A mixed methodology, using a triangulation design-convergence model was applied to achieve the objective. It was established that women receive limited sponsorship and only in some facets of this career mentoring function thus they are left to face many difficulties as they try to climb the career ladder. The conclusion was that women working in Kenyan universities should get holistic sponsorship within mentorship if they are to advance to top leadership positions in the universities. The recommedation was that structures be set up in universities so that women get not only informal but formal mentorship, inclusive of the career function of mentorship. These structures should as well be provided in other organizations in the country.

Keywords: Mentorship, Sponsorship, Women’s leadership advancement.