Race, gender, and opportunity: A study of compensation attainment and the establishment of mentoring relationships

In this article, hypotheses concerned with how race, gender, and mentoring experiences account for compensation outcomes among master of business administration (MBA) program graduates are considered. African-American and Hispanic MBAs were less likely than their White counterparts to establish mentoring relationships with White men. Women with MBAs were less likely than men with MBAs to form such relationships. Graduates who had been able to establish mentoring relationships with White men displayed an average annual compensation advantage of $16,840 over those with mentors displaying other demographic profiles. There were no compensation differences between those who had established mentoring relationships with women or minority men and those who had not established a mentoring relationship.