31% of entry-level women have a sponsor versus 45% of men, and it shows up at every rung after
Look for a mentor to guide you. You have heard it on every panel, in every onboarding session at a San Antonio employer and in most of the kindly notes that came your way during your first five years. Seek out a more senior coworker who is willing to meet you for coffee, explain how things actually get done in your organization, and help you think through the hard calls. Most women in the San Antonio chapter followed that advice, and it paid off for them.
That approach only takes you so far along the path. A mentor speaks with you. A sponsor advocates for you in conversations you are not part of, and risks their own reputation when they do it. Men receive that second form of support more often, and the difference accounts for more of the distance between women and the top than anything listed on a résumé.
Initially. The gap opens right at the start and keeps widening from there.
Data from the 2025 Women in the Workplace study by McKinsey and LeanIn shows that roughly a third of women entering the field have a sponsor, against close to half of the men who do. That disparity shows up before any of these women have had a real opportunity to demonstrate what they can do. That same body of research reports that for every 100 men elevated to manager, only 93 women are, and just 74 women of color. Lagging sponsorship comes first, and the lag in promotions trails right behind it.
Subsequently. Mentoring gives you advice, while sponsorship gives you a place on the shortlist.
Recall the last three promotions you saw happen. Either someone behind a closed door in a meeting says, "I'd put her forward," or no one speaks up for you at all. Being well liked over coffee won't change the outcome of the decisions made in that meeting room. By the time the door closes, a mentor has already done everything they can. A sponsor's work happens after that door closes. When your senior relationships never move past that threshold, you may have plenty of good counsel but no one has ever put your name forward.
Finally. Women's ambition only levels with men's once their backing does.
The 2025 study also showed that 80% of women seek promotion versus 86% of men, and that this difference disappears when women receive equal support. Among all the kinds of support available, sponsorship has the greatest influence. So the conversation about women's ambition that happens in talent reviews is frequently a conversation about sponsorship dressed up as something else. Nobody doubts the motivation of a candidate who a powerful figure has already put their weight behind.
The areas where the classic guidance still holds true
Having a mentor is still important on your path, even here in the Alamo City. Someone needs to tell you what the CFO really cares about and why your last proposal got stuck in committee in Live Oak. Mentors show you how the game works. The mistake is treating them as the people who make the moves. Hold on to them, but be honest with yourself about which role each senior contact actually plays.
Other options to consider
Choose one senior leader who has watched your work up close and make the specific request a sponsor makes. Avoid asking "will you be my sponsor," since it is uncomfortable and easy for the other person to deflect. A better approach sounds more like this: "I'm hoping to land the regional lead job once it opens up. When candidates are discussed, would you be prepared to say you support me?" That phrasing names the setting, the position and the specific request. Should the reply be affirmative, then you have secured a sponsor. If they hesitate, there is more groundwork to do, and at least you will know that now.
Next, extend that same support to someone coming up behind you. Sponsorship only becomes part of how an organization works once its leaders make it a regular practice.
Who has nominated you while you were absent from the room, and when did you last ask someone to do that for you?