‘Mentoring women is to support and encourage them to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be’.
Each of us needs a confidante, someone who believes in us, someone who can assure we have the ability to defy all odds and approve of our risky decisions. But, why especially women?
Humans are born with a skillset that requires nourishing environment where it can showcase its talents and bloom out of the insecurities. But what happens when the skillset is enforced and a person is trained to serve a purpose for the sake of others but themselves; when submissive attitude is encouraged, what kind of a person evolves?
Timid Women- That’s who.
The idea of teaching young girls to be ambitious, to own themselves, to be fierce leaders is a rebellious one. It threatens the authority of those who have continuously fed on the notion that women exist to cater the needs of others. It is not easy to break the toxic cycle of suppression, unlearn what you have been taught since the dawn of time and come out on top owning your individuality.
Society often does not like women in a position of power and fancy the belief that a CEO, a politician, a firm manager, a judge, is supposed to be a man. Why is that when women hold positions of power, they are deemed ‘too much’, ‘getting out of hand’, and ‘straying away from the right path’?
But what actually is the right path and who determines it? Is it the same for men and women, both? Does the society’s defined right path benefit both men and women or it is a trap to make women believe they’re nothing but care takers?
“The idea that a woman can be as powerful as a man is something that our society can’t deal with. But I am as powerful as a man and it drives them crazy.”
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , a freshman Democrat from New York in a recent interview with The New Yorker.
What makes women like Ocasio-Cortez aware of their flare?
What makes women realize that the sky was never the limit but their mindset?
Who educates women to undo the effect of years of submissive schooling and helps restore faith in themselves?
Mentors- that’s what they do.
They make young girls believe that there’s a possibility for them. They guide to reclaim the potential women already possess but have long forgotten in complying with the norms of society.
Mentors can help women change perceptions that their role is not what society confined them to, that they can be themselves and yet as competent as their male counterparts. Many women feel under-appreciated when their talents are not recognized. The fear of not being enough drives them to back off from their goals, that is exactly when a mentor comes to the rescue. A mentor celebrates their talents while continuously assisting them in developing their skills.
How mentoring women can change the course of the world?
Mentoring women boost their confidence and help them advance into leadership positions. When the perspective changes, the way women view themselves change. From a compliant attitude to an assertive one, a mentor makes efficient competent leaders.
Mentorship can provide women with a safe space to openly discuss their ambitions, acknowledge their talents, and overcome challenges to not only recognize their worth by effectively maintaining peace within to not crumble upon the criticism. Furthermore, to maintain the stance for their beliefs without being clouded by the doubts of the society.
Into the bargain, mentoring is a source of empowerment as it uplifts confidence through improved skills and developed leadership competencies.
When women are conscious of their capability, constructive energy flows, their ideas change the course of the world and strengthen them to face the consequences of their decisions. When women learn to be enough for themselves, a better society comes together as a whole.
And this is possible only through mentoring women.
The question is not why mentoring women is important.
The question is why NOT?
More by this author at https://theuncoiled.com/author/zainab/
See She Innovates Campaign at https://www.unwomen.org/
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