In this article, Emma Roberts, who was on our 30 Under 30 2024 list, talks about the importance of mentorship, training, and employee networks for young women in the workplace, particularly in STEM roles.

For many young people, joining the workforce marks an important and exciting time in their lives. However, young women in particular, can face various societal, cultural, and organisational barriers to entering and progressing in their careers. Young women can also face feelings of imposter syndrome which can further limit their career progression and impact their workplace experience. So, how do we combat this? Organisations should introduce systems and practices that better support young women at work.  

Mentorship and Sponsorship 

Providing a mentor to young women in the workplace can help to tackle some of those feelings of imposter syndrome. This could be implemented through a “buddy system” which harnesses the power of lived experiences by pairing a young woman staff member with a more experience woman in the organisation. This can create a relationship where they can share experiences and guidance on how to navigate different situations in the workplace. Mentorship becomes even more valuable for young women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) careers, as it is historically a male-dominated field, which can enhance the feeling of imposter syndrome and intimidation.  

While mentorship focuses more on guidance, advice and coaching, sponsorship can involve connecting a younger member of staff with development opportunities, introducing them to contacts, and advocating on their behalf. Sponsorship is particularly important for young women as stereotypes about age and gender can mean that they speak up less and avoid sharing achievements out of fear of “bragging”. Both mentorship and sponsorship can help to strengthen the workplace support systems we have for young women.  

Training and Development 

Alongside mentorship and sponsorship, training and development opportunities should be offered to young women to challenge the ‘Broken Rung’ effect. The ‘Broken Rung’ effect is where women in entry-level positions are promoted to managerial positions at a much lower rate than men. For example, based on the 2024 McKinsey Women in the Workplace report, for every 100 men who received their first promotion to manager in 2024, only 81 women received a similar promotion. For Black women specifically, this figure reduces to 54 in every 100 men. Providing access to training and development opportunities for women to increase their skills could help to address this gap. 

It’s important that these training opportunities, either internal or external to organisations, are tailored to specifically address the key barriers and skills development gaps facing young women in the workplace. For example, Code First Girls is a provider of free coding courses for women and is looking to close the gender gap in the tech sector by providing free education which can lead to greater representation in this industry. 

Employee Networks 

Some of these training and development opportunities can also take place inside specific women-focused employee networks. Creating networks for young women provides a space to connect, share experiences and support other women in the workplace. Coming together can help young women realise that problems aren’t always specific to the individual but can instead be structural issues or obstacles e.g. in an organisation or workplace, or within wider society. These types of networks can also help to push for change within an organisation to make policies more inclusive.  

If your organisation doesn’t have its own network, why not try starting your own? This could be in the form of a monthly women’s lunch or could be more formal like a Lean In circle. You can also look wider in your local area as there are many networks throughout the UK that focus on women in the workplace. Some are even targeted for certain industries such as women entrepreneurs and women in technology. I am personally part of an employee network that focuses on advocating for gender equality; they provide a range of events like networking opportunities, CV workshops and webinars on specific topics. 

Supporting Young Girls 

Support for young women doesn’t have to begin only when they join the workforce. By engaging young girls in your community, you can provide guidance on career opportunities so that stereotypes around the type of work women do, are challenged from an early age. Charities like TechSheCan do this by educating and inspiring young people, especially girls, to study STEM subjects and pursue careers in these fields. By volunteering with this charity, I can offer career ideas working with technology and share my experience of working in STEM while providing guidance for those interested in a similar path.  

If we want to break down barriers for young women, then we need to be proactive in the support that we provide. Whether that’s through mentorship, sponsorship, learning and development opportunities, or employee networks – every step counts. If we focus both on young women in the workplace and young girls in schools and in our communities, then we can provide a holistic support system. When young women feel empowered, they don’t just excel in their roles; they inspire others and drive change across the board. 

This article is part of a series during the Young Women Work campaign, tackling gender inequality in the workplace. Read more about the campaign and its recommendations, and help us spread the word. Can you ask your workplace to sign the pledge and commit to being part of the change?