Riley, Leila2025-01-072025-01-072024-07https://hdl.handle.net/11299/269230University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. July 2024. Major: Kinesiology. Advisors: Vicki Schull, Lisa Kihl. 1 computer file (PDF); x, 251 pages.The sport industry is male-dominated (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014; Evans & Pfister, 2021; Hancock et al., 2017) thus women are more likely to be mentored by men. There simply are not enough women in decision making positions to provide mentorship to all aspiring women (Bower, 2009; Hancock et al., 2017; Ragins, 1989). Given the likelihood men will more often mentor women there is a dearth of information about men mentoring women (MmW) relationships in the sport industry despite calls to further the phenomenon (Hancock et al., 2017). Various facets of the mentoring relationship are impacted when women are mentored by men such as the amount of psychosocial support received in the relationship (Picariello et al., 2021) or gender-blind coaching (Hancock et al., 2017). Hancock and colleagues (2017) indicate gender does impact opposing outcomes and contrasting feedback, but little is known about why. Further, the usage of mentoring as a tool for change in sport has been vastly underestimated by the limited outcomes studied in average mentoring relationships. Like any relationship, mentoring relationships are on a spectrum of quality (Ragins & Verbos, 2007). Despite the positive connotation of mentoring, it is not always beneficial and in some cases can even be harmful to the career trajectory of one or both parties (Hancock et al., 2017; Ragins, 2011). Current literature on mentoring women in sport has focused on the developmental activities and outcomes of mentorship in typical or average mentoring relationships (Bower, 2009; Hancock et al., 2017; Picariello et al., 2021) but has not yet considered the quality of mentoring relationships. High-quality mentoring can drastically change the personal and professional lives of mentor and protégé (Ragins, 2011) and has the potential to “transform individuals, groups, organizations, and communities” (Ragins & Kram, 2008, p. 2). With mentoring playing an important role in the career trajectory of women in sport leadership (Hancock et al., 2017; Picariello et al., 2021; Wells & Hancock, 2017), it is essential that high-quality mentoring is explored in order to better harness this potentially life-altering force and improve gender inequalities within sport organizations. The succession of studies within my dissertation was developed to explore this novel area of mentoring research in the sport industry and support the use of mentoring as an instrument positive change. Study I sought to understand the process of high-quality (HQ) men mentoring women (MmW) relationships in a sport context. Using a portion of Ragins (2007; 2011) theory of relational mentoring centered on the relational cultural aspects of mentoring, mentors and protégés provided an in-depth understanding of how they felt mentoring relationships are developed and maintained in MmW relationships within the context of sport. The findings of Study I showed mentors taking more passive approaches to developing mentoring relationships leaving it to luck or the protégé initiative, while protégés felt the progression to mentoring was natural after considering if the man was a viable mentor and what they wanted from the relationship. Both mentors and protégés felt communication was important, but protégé got more specific about the necessity of fluidity in relationships as life season and sport seasons change. While both groups felt that fostering connections was important, the value mentors placed on boundaries had the potential to create misalignment because protégés prized authenticity. Study II integrated Britton and Logan's (2008) synthesis of Gender in Organizations into the context of mentoring. Findings indicated mentoring is a gendered experience when MmW women in sport and serves to reproduce and enforce hegemonic masculinity in sport. Lastly, Study III applied the Mentoring Schema’s portion of Ragins (2011, 2007) relational theory of mentoring to understand how participants, given the results of Study I and II, conceptualized HQ MmW relationships in sport. The data revealed mentors and protégés felt HQ MmW relationships involved open communication, mutuality, and seeing each other holistically, at the dyadic level. While mentor’s and protégés described the traits of HQ mentors (i.e., empathetic, advocates, emotionally intelligent, and ally), only mentors discussed the traits of HQ protégés. The results of all studies are discussed in relation to literature relevant to their content. Together the studies proved mentoring is a gendered experience where gender impacts what mentors and protégé expect from each other and how relationships are managed. The finding showcased the need not only to help women make the most out of mentoring, but help men understand how their hidden ideologies directly hurt women in the workplace. Further, the results offered mentoring as an instrument of community change through its potential to mobilize men as gender allies. Theoretical, empirical, and practical implications were offered with limitations and future lines areas of inquire discussed.engender equityhuman resource developmentmen mentoring womenmentoringsport managementThesis or Dissertation