The SACRU Mentoring Program is an initiative developed within Working Group 6: Gender Equity in the University of the SACRU Alliance.

The program aims to promote gender equity, advancement and support for women’s growth in academic careers, and to improve work experiences through shared reflection, peer exchange in an international context, and the development of practical solutions.

Working Group 6 brings together 13 professors from SACRU partner universities as the leading figures and promoters of the initiative: Boston College, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Universitat Ramon Llull, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Sophia University and Australian Catholic University.

The initiative coordinated by Summer Sherburne Hawkins, Professor at the Boston College School of Social Work and Chair of SACRU’s Gender Equity Working Group. Emphasising the cross-cultural relevance of the program, Professor Hawkins notes that:

“It doesn’t matter where you are, where you live, or what your culture is. Things like work-life balance, communication challenges, and lack of leadership opportunities transcend all places.”

The project stems from an analysis that highlighted a persistent gender gap in academic career progression across the participating universities. The analysis considered the main challenges women encounter in their academic paths, with particular attention to work-life balance, professional identity and the structural factors that may hinder career advancement.

“Women in academia often carry invisible workloads and face a lack of opportunities,”, says Professor Manzi, Full Professor of Psychology, represents Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

The initiative is aimed at women in the early stages of their academic careers, who will be invited to exchange views and receive training on topics such as professional identity, work-life balance, the university mission and institutional transformation through women’s leadership.

The program will consist of nine online meetings over 12 months and will involve approximately 16 mentors and 64 mentees from the participating universities. The mentees will be identified through an open call at each partner university and will work in groups aligned with their scientific-disciplinary fields, matched with mentors whose expertise is consistent with their areas of specialization. The mentors are selected directly by the members of WG6.

As Professor Manzi notes:

“Support networks and mentorship do not solve everything, but they can significantly change the way women feel and provide concrete solutions to facilitate their careers.”

The initiative is therefore intended as a concrete tool to improve women’s work experiences, encouraging discussion on key issues such as career criteria, workload management, international networking, leadership, work-life balance and well-being.

If you are interested in participating, please get in touch with the representative of your university in the WG6, that you can find here.