The Real Door to Career Advancement Isn’t Just Mentorship, It’s Sponsorship
Let’s get honest. For many Black women and women of colour, the idea that “hard work speaks for itself” is a myth wrapped in exhaustion. Despite being overqualified, underpaid and structurally overlooked, they continue to be left out of informal networks, high-stakes conversations and leadership succession planning.
The data is clear. While studies show Black women pursue higher education at higher rates, this rarely translates into proportional representation in the C-suite, access to capital, stock ownership or affordable insurance. Why? Because they’re often mentored but not sponsored. Mentorship gives advice. Sponsorship opens doors.
In her powerful new book "The Doors You Can Open," Rosalind Chow breaks down the harsh truth. Sponsorship is riskier than mentorship and most organisations avoid it because it requires vulnerability, status and real commitment. But if Black women are ever going to close the leadership and wealth…
