Abstract

Although the concept of "mentor" originates in Greek mythology, mentoring as a management development tool has been an area of interest for a relatively brief period of time (since the early 1980's). Mentoring represents a practice that has the potential to be career enabling for women in today's workplace. How women become mentors and how they create meaning of the the process of being a mentor and the role itself involves the intersection of three areas of study, i.e., role identity formation, women at work, and mentoring. Each area contributes its own perspective and interacts with each of the other areas in the creation of mentor identity.