Have you ever heard the phrase: “Women are over-mentored and under-sponsored”? Even though research demonstrates sponsorship is one of the most effective mechanisms for women’s promotion and career advancement, women are half as likely as men to have a sponsor.

Concerningly, despite the demonstrated benefits of sponsorship, recent data from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company’s 10th-anniversary report of Women In the Workplace shows that organisations’ investments in formal sponsorship programs tailored to women are declining.

Without sponsorship, the playing field remains uneven, with systemic barriers continuing to hinder women’s progression into leadership roles.

Why sponsorship is critical

The workplace is full of challenges that disproportionately affect women. Recent research revealed that women are 13% less likely to be promoted than men despite receiving higher average performance ratings. One key reason? Bias. Women are often more harshly evaluated based on past achievements, while men are promoted for their perceived potential.

This bias contributes to what’s known as the “broken rung”—the first promotion to management. For every 100 men promoted, only 81 women achieved the same milestone. For women of colour, the numbers are even lower. This critical gap compounds over time, reducing the pool of women eligible for leadership roles.

Sponsorship plays a crucial role in breaking these barriers and building a strong pipeline of women leaders. Research by Catalyst demonstrated that women with highly placed sponsors are as likely as men to achieve promotions. Similarly, a 2019 SpencerStuart study emphasised that sponsorship—especially by senior male leaders—is pivotal in accelerating women’s career progression.

Sponsorship vs. Mentorship

“While a mentor is someone who has knowledge and will share it with you, a sponsor is a person who has power and will use it for you.”

— Herminia Ibarra, Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School

While mentorship focuses on personal and professional growth, sponsorship is about career advancement. Sponsors leverage their power to create opportunities for their sponsees, ensuring they are considered for promotions and leadership roles. In doing so, they help close the gap between women and their male counterparts in the workplace.

Herminia Ibarra, a leading scholar on organisational behaviour, puts it succinctly: “While a mentor is someone who has knowledge and will share it with you, a sponsor is a person who has power and will use it for you.”

Ibarra encourages viewing sponsorship as a spectrum of support. Relationships often start with mentorship and, over time, evolve into sponsorship as trust and mutual investment grow.

How sponsorship works: The real impact

The research is clear—sponsorship is a proven accelerator for career growth. And participants from our CARE program, designed for emerging women, consistently report its impact:

• Advocacy and visibility: Sponsors championed their sponsees for promotions and key roles.
• Fresh perspectives: Sponsors from different business units shared insights that broadened participants’ understanding of organisational strategy.
• Confidence and growth: Many participants noted that their sponsors helped them overcome limiting beliefs and take bold steps in their careers.

Tips for sponsors

Are you ready to sponsor someone? Here are some actionable ways to make an impact:

• Encourage your sponsee to take personal ownership of their career development.
• Challenge your sponsee’s assumptions and limiting beliefs.
• Help your sponsee explore and consider different opportunities.
• Share insider knowledge about your organisation and ways to advance.
• Provide feedback and feedforward about your sponsee’s strengths and competencies and how they can bridge developmental gaps.
• Facilitate introductions within your network.
• Talk about our sponsee when they are and aren’t present.
• Bring your sponsee to meetings and give them a seat at the table.
• Provide opportunities for high-visibility projects and assignments.
• Endorse your sponsee’s readiness for leadership roles.
• Advocate for your sponsee during promotions and key decisions.

For women seeking sponsors

If you’re a woman looking for a sponsor, here’s how to start:

• Identify the right sponsor. For a sponsor to have a genuine impact when advocating for you, they need influence, often synonymous with holding “mission-critical” roles and being well-networked. Given the disproportionate representation of men in senior leadership, many sponsors may be male.
• Build the relationship. Sponsorship evolves as trust and belief in your potential grow. Start by engaging with potential sponsors and demonstrating your capabilities.
• Be clear and direct about your aspirations. Transparency about your career aspirations helps sponsors advocate effectively on your behalf. A previous program sponsor shared this advice with emerging women: “Don’t mask what you want with your words.”

Remember, your career is yours to drive. Sponsorship is a partnership, but you hold the wheel.

Sponsorship is a powerful tool for breaking barriers and accelerating women’s careers. By fostering sponsorship relationships and implementing inclusive programs, organisations can unlock the potential of their female talent and create a more equitable workplace.

Consider one of our sponsorship programs.
Two of our flagship programs—CARE and Entry to the C-Suite®—integrate sponsorship as a core component for women.

• CARE
  CARE is an internal career development program for high-potential emerging women. It focuses on building confidence and capability to define career goals and navigate barriers, with internal sponsorship as a key enabler.
• Entry to the C-Suite®
  This external program supports high-potential managers in preparing for C-Suite roles within 2-5 years. Sponsorship and career readiness are central to the program’s approach.
• Art of Sponsorship workshop series
  Workshops to help senior leaders develop effective sponsorship skills, foster gender equity and create meaningful career opportunities for women.