Description
Women across the nation face barriers that include a pay gap, under representation, caregiving expectations, threats of sexual violence, and more. Barriers related to the workplace are significant due to their impact on a woman’s autonomy, particularly in Arkansas. The Women’s Business Leadership Center on the Arkansas State University campus provided an excellent opportunity to investigate the life experiences of women in Arkansas who recognize barriers to women and confront them. Eleven mentors of the WBLC at ASU were interviewed to document such life experiences. Regarding mentorship, participants shared that they built support systems, received their own benefits, commonly had a mentor as inspiration, and held a desire for more mentoring. Participants then shared stories commonly marked by unexpected changes, varied educational paths, and family support. Some participants shared their experiences in the workplace that they believed to be due to their gender. Further, there was a common mark of concern for a multitude of factors such as healthcare, reproductive factors, economic factors, and childcare for women in Arkansas. Actionable recommendations include continuing support for the WBLC, recognizing that there is more than one path to success, and placing a higher emphasis on confronting workplace experiences and reported factors of concern for Arkansan women. Further study should document the life experiences specifically of women of color and others in Arkansas to be able to make conclusions knowing the life experiences of more women in Arkansas, as well as investigate if mentorship increases one’s potential to become a mentor later in their life.
Publication Date
5-2024
Thesis Advisor
Patricia Johnston
Thesis Committee
Steve Leslis, Sheena Gammon, Carmen Lanos Williams
Degree Name
BA Business Administration, BS Business Economics
Expected Graduation
2024
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Gray, Megan Nicole, "The Stories That Matter From the People Who Care: Interviewing the Mentors of the Women’s Business Leadership Center" (2024). Honors Theses. 1.
https://arch.astate.edu/honors-thesis/1
