Mentors, Men, and Leaning Into Closed Doors

Written by Areva Martin and Narrated by Marie T. Russell. As the world navigates the complexities of gender inequity and the systems that hold it in place, individual women are trying to navigate their own industries. Hard work alone will not earn recognition from the system. Often, you need connections, clout, or a mentor to open doors for you. Those "doors"—including jobs, projects, or speaking opportunities—have been shut to women for decades. Just as they hold the power, men hold the keys. Women often find themselves searching for a male mentor who can (metaphorically) open doors for them. You can't open a door simply by "leaning in" to it. Although men see the benefits of mentorship, they are not likely to offer these opportunities to women. For decades, this was due to the lie that women were inferior, or that our value only came from our beauty or ability to care for the home. In the post-#MeToo era, men find themselves withholding mentorship opportunities for other reasons. They don't want to get "canceled" or "#MeToo-d," or they simply refuse to believe that gender inequity exists! This creates a cycle of women fruitlessly leaning into closed doors. Worse, it enforces the lies we have been told about our inferiority to men and our "place" in the home or on the lower rungs of corporate America. In order to discuss solutions to problems of discrimination, we must think bigger than legislation. We must dismantle the system that has encouraged this discrimination and create... Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article) Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay Copyright 2021 by Areva Martin. All Rights Reserved.