The Emergence and Effects of Sponsors for Women Leaders

Abstract

Sponsoring activities are crucial for women leaders' career advancement. We explore who the sponsors of women are, the nature of their sponsoring activities, and how these activities have influenced women careers' advancement. Based on semi-structured interviews with women leaders in France and Spain, we show the importance of combined assistive and appreciative support in sponsoring activities by superiors and by informal networks inside and outside the organization for women leaders in their early- and mid-careers. We show that women in leadership positions are predominantly sponsored by men, which differs from existing literature that advocates for homophilous propensities and the establishment of same-sex sponsoring relationships. We argue for a more structured approach to offering challenging assignments to women at every stage of their careers, and to move toward a constellation of sponsors both within and outside the organization, who can offer diverse sponsoring opportunities to women leaders at various career stages.