Is There A Good Man Behind Every Woman?

By: Beth Slagle, Esq.

The old adage that “there’s a good woman behind every man” has been bandied about for decades, but is the opposite true as well? Is there a good man behind every successful woman? Research shows that there very well could be.

Two of the oft-cited reasons for the low levels of women in top ranking positions are gender bias and sex discrimination. Research indicates that the way to battle those statistics is through mentoring, training and better access to work and life programs. Likely, however, the most important way to budge those numbers is by making certain that female professionals have an advocate, a champion of sorts. Not just any advocate, but one who has power and substance, someone who is respected and who has “made rain”. An advocate who “has your back” and can do that behind the scenes campaigning for you and champion your talents to others.

Currently, because the top positions in most professional arenas are male dominated, that is where some of the best advocates will be found. No surprise there.

In many professional hierarchies, the ability to succeed is not necessarily equated to how smart you are. Indeed, a female professional (or any professional for that matter) could be the smartest person in the entire organization, but without other critical attributes, could make this individual a non-starter. In various professions, like lawyer, financial and accountant, the ability for a female to thrive may be based more on whether she has certain typical male attributes such as being aggressive, competitive and tough, as opposed to simply how brainy she is. Further, if she has a senior male advocating for her among his like-minded peers, that will undoubtedly boost others perception of her.

Catalyst, an organization whose mission is to expand opportunities for women in business, released a recent study about male mentors called “Engaging Men in Gender Initiatives: What Change Agents Need to Know”. Catalyst found that men who impeded the success of females in the work environment and viewed female promotions at the expense of men. Another significant finding was that a strong sense of fairness was the primary attribute of male champions of women. Interestingly, 83% of the “pro-female” men identified by Catalyst had at least one daughter, thus suggesting the family dynamic plays a big role in the manner in which men perceive women in the workplace.

This is not to suggest that females must always and only have male mentors. That’s not the case at all. In fact, having a female mentor or mentors can play a huge role in a professional women’s success in a company and in her career. The reality is that the best mentors are problem or phase-specific — meaning – who is the best person (male or female) to help with a particular issue or with a specific phase of your career. The critical issue is whether the mentor can assist, guide and support you in whatever you are tackling, and that you work well together in that process. People are surprisingly willing to help others succeed, and typically, are appreciative of the fact that you asked them for help.

Beth Slagle , Attorney at Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, wannabe and sometimes entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of BizChicks.