Equal opportunities but unequal mentoring? The perceptions of mentoring by Black and minority ethnic academics in the UK university sector

Abstract

Official statistics on the labour market position of Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in academic institutions reveal that there are disparities in both their representation and in their promotion to higher levels. However, while the importance of mentoring has been acknowledged, few studies have explored the role of this importance organizational intervention in understanding the adverse employment outcomes of BME academics. This article documents, explores, and analyses the perceptions, reflections, and interpretations that BME academics attribute to their understanding of the role of mentoring in their career journeys, interactions, and experiences. The findings suggest that BME academics experienced widespread dissatisfaction of mentoring which many attributed to the unfavourable context in which university interventions such as mentoring is implemented as well as the inauthenticity of white mentors in their interactions with BME academics. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for researchers and practitioners.