Effects of a Women's Mentoring Workshop on Career Outcomes in Political Science, United States, 2018-2025

Mentoring programs are assumed to benefit women's advancement in professional settings, including political science. However, causal evidence is scarce. The research team conducted a randomized evaluation of American Political Science Association's (APSA) flagship women's mentoring program for PhDs. The program consists of a workshop followed by periodic small group meetings. The research team randomized applicants to the program or a control group. The researchers administered surveys pretreatment, immediately after the workshop, and 2-7 years after, and collected CV and publications data at each wave. The program was positively rated by participants, and reported an increase in sense of belonging in the profession at year 2, but otherwise had null effects.