“Mentorship is critical to advancement in academic medicine, and as the majority of the upper faculty echelons are occupied by men, inexperienced women are usually paired up with older men. In the early days of these relationships, the mentee is eager to please her new boss, and the mentor is benevolent, happy to advise and guide a promising young woman. This often leads to a father-daughter dynamic, which at first seems fine for both parties—the mentor gets free labor and credit for the work of his underling, and the mentee gets a free ride on her boss’ coattails. What starts out as a congenial relationship can sew the seeds for later strife, however.
When women act like deferential daughters, they fail to prepare for future independence. Like Ivanka Trump, they become subsumed by their father’s brand; they are seen as helpmeets and extensions of the older man’s success. Unlike Ivanka Trump, however, ambitious junior faculty members cannot ride Daddy’s coattails forever. The time comes when they must apply for promotion, and that is often when things falls apart.”
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