The Importance of Cross-Gender Mentorship in the Army

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Richard is an active-duty officer in the U.S. Army and is currently assigned as the Counterintelligence Coordinating Authority/Deputy J2X for United States Forces, Japan. As a prior-service enlisted Soldier, he has over 29 years of leadership experience within the U.S. Army and has served at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Dan holds a Bachler’s of Arts Degree in Integrated Social Studies from The Ohio State University, a Master's of Arts Degree in Social- Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, and a Master’s of Arts Degree in National Defense and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Dan has been married to his wife Antoinette for over 23 years and they have three teenage children.

As of October 31, 2022, the U.S. Army was comprised of roughly 463,000 active-duty

service members, of which approximately 72,500 are women or 15.7% of the total force. Further breaking down the numbers reveals women make up approximately 20% of the officer corps, with just over 16,000 women officers versus 62,000 men officers. Understanding the preponderance of soldiers are men, it is our responsibility to ensure we are open, willing, and able to mentor women within our ranks.  

Men often establish roadblocks to justify why they do not mentor women. Some of the most common reasons for this reluctance are:  1) men are hesitant to have close relationships with women, 2) men have a fear of societal scrutiny, 3) the backlash of a jealous spouse, and 4) the fear of being accused of sexual harassment. This hesitation is not unique to the military; however, as members of the profession of arms, we must fulfill our duty to ensure we work to break down these barriers. As leaders, we are responsible for leading our entire formation, not just those who look like us. 

As a result of these misguided attitudes, I have found many men often refuse to take on the responsibility of mentoring younger women. In fact, after witnessing a younger woman mentee get into a vehicle with an older man mentor, a colleague of mine once asked if I would ever ride in a car alone with a woman mentee. I asked my colleague if he would ride with a man mentee in a vehicle. When he stated he would, my reply was simple: in a situation like this, a mentor's behavior should not change based on the gender of the mentee. My colleague retorted that he was unwilling to take such a risk in today's culture.  

In most cases, I would argue women are merely looking to find a professional long-term relationship with an individual who can provide them with personal and professional mentorship. One young woman I spoke with regarding the issue of cross-gender mentorship told me the men she considered mentors were excellent members of the profession but, more importantly, were good human beings; they were honest, intentional, intelligent, and sincere. Although these mentors acknowledged that she was a woman and sometimes asked for her perspective as a woman, her gender did not dominate their relationship. She stated that every one of her male mentors included their wives and/or families in their relationship, which helped to diminish the cross-gender mentorship stigma relating to inappropriate relationships. 

Depending on the women’s military occupational specialty, the previously mentioned

demographics can make it even more difficult for a woman to find another woman who can

provide the much-needed job-specific mentorship they seek. After speaking with many women soldiers, I found it is not uncommon for women to develop a coaching relationship with the men within their chain of command. However, it can often be much more difficult for them to create a long-term mentorship relationship with a man. One young female Armor officer I interviewed highlighted this issue as a critical aspect of her experience as she navigated being one of the first female Armor officers. Upon arriving at her first unit, she was warned by another female officer that most of the senior leaders (men) in their organizations had no desire to mentor young women officers. The issue with this situation was that there were no senior female Armor officers in the unit; if she wanted mentorship in her branch, she had to seek male mentors.  Although finding someone willing to provide her with the needed mentorship was difficult, she eventually found a male mentor willing to provide her with the mentorship and guidance she needed. She credited his mentorship as essential to her development. She stated, "Most of my growth as an Armor officer came under his mentorship, and I am grateful he made space for both men and women officers under his leadership."

Research shows mentorship can have an immense impact on individuals and has a direct

correlation to overall organizational performance. In an environment where men make up nearly 84% of the workforce, it is unsurprising that women have difficulty identifying someone who can provide a long-term relationship needed for impactful mentorship. The fact men routinely create roadblocks that prohibit mentor/mentee relationships only increases the stigma of cross-gender mentorship in the military.

The bottom line is that male soldiers are responsible for ensuring we are open, willing, and able to mentor females within our ranks.