Three P’s for the mentoring of women educators : purpose, power, propriety

Much has been written about mentoring and its potential to support the learning and career development of individuals. This paper is a review of some of the literature and research in the field that explores the nature, focus and purpose of mentoring arrangements. It begins by providing a background discussion about the meaning of mentoring and some different categorisations. It then presents some initial arguments that were used to promote mentoring as a career strategy for women. The next and final part of the paper considers three issues that have the potential to shape the dynamics of mentoring relationships. These issues are purpose, power, and propriety