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Writing Groups as Models for Peer Mentorship among Female Faculty in Political Science

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2018

Erin C. Cassese  and
Mirya R. Holman
Erin C. Cassese
Affiliation:
West Virginia University
Mirya R. Holman
Affiliation:
Tulane University
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Abstract

Women are underrepresented among political science faculty and leave academic careers at far greater rates than their male colleagues. Women’s lower research productivity is one reason for the declining number of women in advanced academic ranks. Mentoring can provide necessary advice and feedback to encourage scholarly production, but research shows that female scholars face challenges in traditional mentoring arrangements. We propose that peer mentoring can provide a missing link by supporting research productivity. Using a case study of an existing peer-mentoring group, we document how writing groups can provide flexible mechanisms for peer mentoring that circumvent the obstacles women face with mentoring and complement existing mentoring relationships. We discuss the structure of this group—as well as a survey-based assessment of it—to demonstrate how this approach can be readily adopted by other women in the profession who seek to expand their network of mentors to include peers in their subfield.

Type
Articles
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , April 2018 , pp. 401 - 405
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2018 

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