Life throws challenges and it is up to you to succumb to them or to change them into opportunities and leverage them to your advantage. This is easier said than done but if you have a life coach or mentor to help you pick the right path, the task becomes easier.

Women are naturally blessed to act as mentors. A woman plays several roles throughout her life — that of a daughter, sister, wife and a mother — roles in which she imbibes values such as sensitivity, compassion and empathy. The sensitivity and sensibility goes a long way in making her effective as a guide. No wonder, a large number of successful life coaches in the world over are women.

They have excelled in every field that was once marked as a man’s domain. However, while the participation of women in the higher education space has increased, where as in work force has rather declined over the last decade and hovered around 24 to 27 per cent in the past couple of years. Worse still, the participation of women on senior leadership positions is too insignificant. As of the 2018 Fortune list, only 24 women (4.8 per cent) were CEOs of 500 companies. It therefore appears prima facie, that when it comes to accepting woman as a superlative, the stereotypes prevail. In a society that portrays women as objects of lust and desire, it is a huge challenge for a woman to rise to levels of respect and reverence. In these circumstances, the mentoring role of women for other women becomes crucial. There are organisations like Women Mentoring Forum that have taken a lead in bring professional women together to facilitate growth and networking. To promote upward mobility for women, sustained mentoring by fellow women leaders can take the center stage. Mentoring may help women to ideate and envision their higher leadership roles. It also enables formation of support groups and networks that can be used by mentees to move up in the professional ladder. Above all, in difficult times at workplace, women mentors can be a great emotional and moral support.

Women as teachers, doctors and scientists do exist but now this society has to witness women as opinion makers, influencers, guides and mentors.

On this women’s day, let us celebrate all these women who have broken the barriers and established themselves as successful mentors.

(The author is Anju Sharma, IAS, Principal Secretary (Higher and Technical Education), Government of Gujarat.)