Mentorship or Missed Opportunity? The Cultural Disconnect Facing South Asian Women in the UK
The inclusion and equal opportunity narrative is gaining traction in today’s increasingly multicultural Britain. Yet, beneath the surface, systemic underrepresentation continues to affect particular groups. Women of South Asian origin are among those who often face difficulty finding culturally relatable mentors to support their personal and professional growth. This isn’t just a challenge—it’s an urgent issue that demands immediate action.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2022), South Asians are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in the UK, making up approximately 7.5% of the population. Among them, women are achieving higher levels of education and demonstrating strong ambition across various fields. The 2021 Sutton Trust report demonstrates that British Pakistani and Indian girls consistently achieve exceptional academic performance, which exceeds other students in GCSE exams. The educational advantages these students receive do not result in similar professional progress or leadership positions. This disconnect points to a long-standing and urgent inequality that demands focused action.
The Importance of Culturally Relatable Mentors
Mentorship represents a fundamental element within professional growth based on expert opinion. The Harvard Business Review study 2019, mentorship programmes increase minority retention and promotion rates by 15–38%. Mentorship thrives most when the mentor and their mentee share background elements and personal life experiences. Cultural misalignment between a person and their mentor leads to an inability to understand fundamental aspects, including family structures and identity challenges.
When South Asian women receive mentorship that recognises and honours their cultural circumstances, it creates life-altering results. The available mentors are capable of delivering practical support to help individuals handle intergenerational requirements and harmonize family responsibilities with professional objectives and fight against social stereotypes of leadership. The mentors work to create an environment where South Asian females can feel optimistic about their future and where beneficial transformations in their lives can occur.
Representation and Structural Barriers
South Asian women remain underrepresented in senior roles despite progress in education. McKinsey & Company’s 2023 report, “Diversity Wins”, highlights that executive teams and boards across the UK continue to exclude ethnic minority women, with South Asian women holding fewer than 1% of FTSE 100 board seats. In industries such as finance, media, and politics, the gap is even more pronounced.
This underrepresentation has a reinforcing effect when young women do not see leaders who look like them or understand their experiences, which limits their sense of what is possible. According to research from King’s College London about leadership paths for ethnic minority women as of 2021, a “role model gap” represents an important obstacle that diminishes self-assurance and restricts entry to powerful connections.
Additionally, the same survey highlights how South Asian women often feel excluded from informal mentoring relationships that benefit others in the workplace.
Walking the Cultural Tightrope
Many South Asian women navigate a cultural tightrope between their heritage and the expectations of the broader society. Traditional gender roles persist across numerous communities, which enforce expectations about marriage, caregiving responsibilities, and domestic duties. The expectations stem from unspoken cultural norms that are emotionally charged, which create challenges for explaining them to mentors unfamiliar with the context.
A 2021 study by The Runnymede Trust found that British South Asian women often face a unique ‘double burden’: racial and gender discrimination from the wider society and conservative gender norms from within their communities. The simultaneous dual role in life affects people through both academic success requirements and gender-based responsibilities, along with the need to maintain career pursuits and family obligations. The impact of these intersecting pressures might hold back career goals or postpone professional advancement.
Culturally relatable mentors—especially those who have overcome similar constraints—can provide strategic advice, emotional support, and an affirming example that success is possible without compromising identity.
Intersectionality and Complexity
The various experiences of South Asian women exist within a diverse and non-uniform demographic. The life experiences of South Asian women are shaped by their religious beliefs, along with their migration background, language skills, and socio-economic standing. A Hindu woman born in Britain while working in London would encounter dissimilar obstacles compared to a Muslim woman who recently arrived in Manchester.
This intersectionality deepens the need for tailored mentorship. Yet existing diversity and inclusion initiatives often group all ethnic minorities or fail to consider how layered identities affect opportunity. The British Academy’s 2022 report on intersectionality notes that ethnic minority women are usually left out of gender equality policies and ethnic diversity programmes alike, falling through the cracks of both.
Solutions and the Path Forward
Addressing the mentorship gap for South Asian women in the UK requires systemic, community-driven, and individual action:
Targeted mentorship initiatives: Several organisations, including Muslim Women Connect and Pink Ladoo Project, have emerged to address the need for mentoring programmes specifically for South Asian women. The development of these programmes requires increased implementation and backing throughout multiple industries.
Training for inclusive mentorship: Employers must train mentors in cultural competency to ensure they can offer support considering cultural, gender, and racial nuances.
Promoting visibility: Media representation matters. Showcasing South Asian women leaders in public forums—from politics to business (e.g., Vin Murria)—can shift perceptions and inspire young women.
Encouraging community change: Change must also come from within South Asian communities. Open conversations about career, independence, and identity can challenge harmful norms and celebrate non-traditional success.
Encourage open conversations in communities: Breaking down taboos around women’s ambition starts at home. Let’s celebrate professional success as much as we celebrate weddings.
Conclusion
The shortage of culturally appropriate mentors specifically for South Asian women within the United Kingdom serves as both an equity impediment and a leadership advancement obstacle. Mentorship involves more than just advice; it requires a connection based on empathy and comprehension. If we want true inclusion, mentorship must reflect the real lived experiences of the people it’s meant to support. When South Asian women receive mentoring from someone who recognises their goals and cultural barriers, they experience a transformative shift that leads to success.
Investing in relatable mentorship for South Asian women isn’t just good policy. It’s a path to unlocking untapped potential across Britain’s workplaces.
Achieving this goal will require an extended completion period. The United Kingdom has the power to harness underrepresented generations by implementing customised mentorship programmes and leadership roles that reflect their cultural needs.
References:
Office for National Statistics (2022). Ethnic group by sex and age, England and Wales.
Sutton Trust (2021). Education and Ethnicity: Attainment gaps and intergenerational mobility.
Harvard Business Review (2019). Why Organisations Need to Do More Than Hire More Women.
Fawcett Society (2020). Broken Ladders: The myth of meritocracy for women of colour in the workplace.
McKinsey & Company (2023). Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters.
King’s College London (2021). In Plain Sight: The underrepresentation of ethnic minority women in UK leadership.
Runnymede Trust (2021). Missing Pages: The Role of Intersectionality in Employment Outcomes.
The British Academy (2022). Intersectionality: A guide for policymakers.
Muslim Women Connect. https://www.muslimwomenconnect.org.uk/
Pink Ladoo Project. https://www.pinkladoo.org/
