Webs of Science: Mentor Networks Influence Women’s Integration into STEM Fields

Abstract

Mentorship can be part of the solution to developing a more diverse global scientific workforce, but robust longitudinal evidence is limited. Developmental mentor network theory can advance our understanding of the impact of a wide range of mentors across social contexts by distinguishing between the content of mentorship support (eg career support) and the structural characteristics of an individual’s mentor network (eg density of connections among mentors). We tested the influence of mentor network characteristics on longitudinal social integration into earth and environmental sciences, as indicated by science identity development (a key indicator of social integration) and STEM graduate school applications, in a sample of 233 undergraduate women at 9 universities in the U.S. Findings indicate that belonging to close-knit, larger, and skill-focused mentorship networks creates a “sticky web” of social connections, providing information and resources that increase retention of college women in the earth and environmental sciences.

Not Enough: Efforts to Diversify Biogeosciences Benefit Limited Segment of Society

“…These differences in network characteristics likely point to differential access to resources and benefits. A recent study of undergraduate women found that those with larger, more close‐knit networks had a greater sense of scientific identity and were more likely to continue onto graduate studies (Hernandez et al., 2023). By participating and supporting mentoring programs, within your institution or scientific society, we can all help early career scientists build and diversify their networks.…”