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Mentors as Social Capital: Gender, Mentors, and Career Rewards in Law Practice *
Author(s) -
Kay Fiona M.,
Wallace Jean E.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
sociological inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.446
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1475-682X
pISSN - 0038-0245
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-682x.2009.00301.x
Subject(s) - mentorship , normative , social capital , reciprocity (cultural anthropology) , perspective (graphical) , earnings , social exchange theory , norm of reciprocity , sociology , psychology , public relations , social psychology , political science , law , social science , accounting , business , artificial intelligence , computer science
Previous studies have demonstrated that mentoring provides numerous career benefits to individuals and organizations. This article advances past work by examining the effects of individuals’ primary and multiple developmental relationships in a longitudinal study of the careers of lawyers. We develop a social capital perspective on mentorship emphasizing reciprocity of exchange, resource mobilization, and normative expectations embedded within mentoring relationships. We empirically assess mentoring benefits across a diverse range of career rewards. The results provide evidence that male lawyers gain more from their mentor‐derived social capital than female lawyers. Specifically, male lawyers with mentors of senior status benefit with elevated earnings, greater perceived fairness in their workplace, and greater work satisfaction. Women with multiple mentors, however, report enhanced work satisfaction. Implications for research on mentoring, social capital, and professional careers are discussed.