CatalystWomen.org Catalyst is the nonprofit organization working to advance women in business. CatalystWomen.org Catalyst is the nonprofit organization working to advance women in business.
Catalyst finds a number of factors continue to hinder women's advancement in corporate America.
Catalyst's years of research reveal that having a mentor is a crucial key to success. Informal mentoring has always occurred between men in corporate America. A senior man takes a younger man under his wing, shows him the ropes, introduces him to important people, and eventually recommends him for high visibility assignments. As women entered, however, that type of mentoring did not occur as naturally. Women were left to navigate the political waters of the organization on their own.