Sponsoring Men and Women Equally: Creating Fairer Opportunities for Progression

Career progression is influenced not only by performance, but also by access to sponsorship. While mentoring focuses on guidance and advice, sponsorship involves actively advocating for someone’s advancement, visibility and opportunities.

Research consistently shows that sponsorship plays an important role in career progression, yet access to sponsorship is not always equal. Informal networks, affinity bias and workplace dynamics can result in men and women experiencing different levels of advocacy and opportunity.

In many organisations, senior leaders may unintentionally sponsor people who remind them of themselves or with whom they feel most comfortable. This can reinforce existing inequalities and limit progression opportunities for underrepresented groups.

Creating a more equitable approach to sponsorship requires organisations to move beyond informal processes and become more intentional about how opportunities are distributed.

This includes:

• Increasing awareness of bias in sponsorship and talent decisions
• Encouraging leaders to actively sponsor diverse talent
• Creating transparency around stretch assignments and progression opportunities
• Monitoring progression outcomes across different groups
• Supporting inclusive networking and visibility opportunities

Importantly, sponsorship should not be viewed as a zero-sum exercise. Supporting women’s progression does not diminish opportunities for men; rather, equitable sponsorship helps organisations access a broader range of talent, perspectives and leadership styles.

Men also have an important role to play in this work. Because men often hold senior positions and influence organisational networks, their advocacy can help open doors, challenge inequities, and create more balanced leadership pipelines.

At Men for Inclusion, we work with organisations to help men engage positively and constructively in gender equity conversations, including understanding how fair sponsorship practices contribute to healthier, more inclusive workplaces for everyone.

Find out more about our work here.

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