Mentoring experiences of female administrators in the University of Cape Coast

Abstract

Over the years, the number of female employees in management positions has seen a steady increase yet females are in the minority of such management positions in most organisations. One of the strategies suggested to help women overcome the challenges to their career advancement is mentoring. It is against this background that this study was undertaken to explore the mentoring experiences of female administrators (non-teaching female senior members) and its influence on their careers in the University of Cape Coast. A case study design with a qualitative approach was adopted for the study. The snowball sampling technique was adopted to identify the study participants. In all, seventeen (17) female administrators were interviewed. The thematic analysis approach was used in analysing the recorded interviews. The study revealed that mentees encountered both positive and negative experiences with their mentors. These experiences as reported by the mentees largely emanated from some lapses in the structure of the programme. Nevertheless, it was revealed that the mentoring programme had an appreciable influence over the career and personal development of most of the mentees. The study, therefore, recommends that the mentoring programme at the University of Cape Coast should be sustained since it plays an important role in the career development of employees (females). Management of the University of Cape Coast should take immediate steps to develop a mentoring policy or if such policy already exists, it should be made readily available to both mentors and mentees to guide the mentoring process. Finally, periodic mentoring should be conducted to enhance the effectiveness of the programme.