--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I joined a very male-dominated profession…" description: "\"I joined a very male-dominated profession back in 1986. I wanted to work with big multinational Fortune 500 companies, but you don't come into the firm..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/cathy-engelbert-8801_feminism_i-joined-a-very-male-dominated-professio_206602.jpg" --- # I joined a very male-dominated profession back in 1986. I… ![“I joined a very male-dominated profession back in 1986. I wanted to work with big multinational Fortune 500 companies, but you don't come into the firm and automatically get those. So, quite frankly, a key to my success was that I found male mentors and male sponsors. I think some women are afraid…” quote by Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/cathy-engelbert-8801_feminism_i-joined-a-very-male-dominated-professio_206602.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/cathy-engelbert-8801_feminism_i-joined-a-very-male-dominated-professio_206602.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/cathy-engelbert-8801_feminism_i-joined-a-very-male-dominated-professio_206602.jpg) > “I joined a very male-dominated profession back in 1986. I wanted to work with big multinational Fortune 500 companies, but you don't come into the firm and automatically get those. So, quite frankly, a key to my success was that I found male mentors and male sponsors. I think some women are afraid to say that.” [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success in a male‑dominated field often depends on finding supportive mentors and sponsors, regardless of gender. **In simple terms:** Women can benefit from male allies in corporate climbs. Key Takeaway Seek mentors who champion your growth. Themes gender equity career advancement mentorship networking leadership Mood determined optimistic reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - leadership development - gender diversity initiatives Key Concepts sponsorship power dynamics organizational culture Questions to Reflect On - How can women build diverse support networks? - What structures can organizations create to equalize sponsorship? A Different Perspective Relying solely on male sponsors may limit broader allyship and systemic change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Instead of looking to male mentors, saying this is the paradigm of a candidate and it looks like this, we're suddenly finding that there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikie-sherrill/instead-of-looking-to-male-mentors-saying-this-is-the-paradigm-of-a/) [Mikie Sherrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikie-sherrill/) > [Ninety percent of my mentors have been male, most of them with very little in common with me on a personal level - from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/ninety-percent-of-my-mentors-have-been-male-most-of-them-with-very/) [Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/) > [Once I began following my own instincts, sales took off and I became a millionaire. And that, I think, is a key secret to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-flynt/once-i-began-following-my-own-instincts-sales-took-off-and-i-became-a/) [Larry Flynt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-flynt/) > [The innovation of our workplace is key to the development of innovative solutions that address the evolving complex challenges of our clients.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/the-innovation-of-our-workplace-is-key-to-the-development-of/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [I was a simple girl born and raised in Kansas, I grew up with a learning disability. I was a single mum, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brockovich/i-was-a-simple-girl-born-and-raised-in-kansas-i-grew-up-with-a/) [Erin Brockovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brockovich/) > [It's not a male-dominated anything... It's WWE, and it's for anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-mcmahon/it-s-not-a-male-dominated-anything-it-s-wwe-and-it-s-for-anybody/) [Stephanie McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-mcmahon/) > [“in a male-dominated world, Reich suggested, there was an “economic interest” in the continued role of women as “the provider of children for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-talese/in-a-male-dominated-world-reich-suggested-there-was-an-economic/) [Gay Talese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-talese/) > [The Manchester music scene was very male dominated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-stansfield/the-manchester-music-scene-was-very-male-dominated/) [Lisa Stansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-stansfield/) > [The landscape in academic science is traditionally male-dominated. Women didn't always see themselves there - there was a lack of role models, a lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-duncan/the-landscape-in-academic-science-is-traditionally-male-dominated/) Kirsty Duncan > [Music is a male-dominated field. Women are not always taken as seriously as we should be, so sometimes we have to put our foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-elliot/music-is-a-male-dominated-field-women-are-not-always-taken-as/) [Missy Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missy-elliot/) > [The American work environment has to change, not the women. We should be recognizing that what women are not fitting into is a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie-slaughter/the-american-work-environment-has-to-change-not-the-women-we-should/) [Anne-Marie Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie-slaughter/) > [Initially it was very male dominated and there were hardly any women director but now women have entered everywhere and they are making their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/initially-it-was-very-male-dominated-and-there-were-hardly-any-women/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [I've become aware of being in a very male-dominated industry where a door opens and it's like, 'Oh hello, it's 12 men and me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-nash/i-ve-become-aware-of-being-in-a-very-male-dominated-industry-where-a/) [Kate Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-nash/) > [Being a woman is power. Just because we live in a male-dominated world doesn't mean that you're incapable or less than a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mya/being-a-woman-is-power-just-because-we-live-in-a-male-dominated-world/) [Mya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mya/) > [If you're talking about intellectual and social equality for women, we're not much better off.America is still very much a male-dominated society. Most American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/if-you-re-talking-about-intellectual-and-social-equality-for-women-we/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) ## More by Cathy Engelbert > [When you build your network, keep yourself open to new ideas, concepts, and theories. Some of them may even contradict and challenge long-held points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/when-you-build-your-network-keep-yourself-open-to-new-ideas-concepts/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [That is the culture at Deloitte: To make sure we are all maximizing the capabilities that we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/that-is-the-culture-at-deloitte-to-make-sure-we-are-all-maximizing/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [The simple truth is that every veteran has his or her own unique story, and there's no single narrative about the issue of veterans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/the-simple-truth-is-that-every-veteran-has-his-or-her-own-unique/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [Deloitte University is really about leadership development. Our people love it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/deloitte-university-is-really-about-leadership-development-our-people/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [I believe that 20-somethings would be more likely to embrace experimentation - and provide additional value - if they felt safe to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/i-believe-that-20-somethings-would-be-more-likely-to-embrace/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [Being able to see and recombine existing assets and know-how in new ways allows us to take an 'ingenious approach to innovation' - one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/being-able-to-see-and-recombine-existing-assets-and-know-how-in-new/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [The innovation of our workplace is key to the development of innovative solutions that address the evolving complex challenges of our clients.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/the-innovation-of-our-workplace-is-key-to-the-development-of/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [Deloitte Catalyst is enabling Deloitte and our clients to more easily tap the power of innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/deloitte-catalyst-is-enabling-deloitte-and-our-clients-to-more-easily/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [Golf instills incredible values, including collaboration, competitiveness, and integrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/golf-instills-incredible-values-including-collaboration/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [We can't afford to let high performing talent just walk away from our companies without providing an opportunity to work through family needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/we-can-t-afford-to-let-high-performing-talent-just-walk-away-from-our/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [To take women's equality from novelty to norm, we need to change narratives at a societal and individual level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/to-take-women-s-equality-from-novelty-to-norm-we-need-to-change/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [Decisions made centrally, thousands of miles from the markets clients are operating in, will likely not be as attuned to local market realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/decisions-made-centrally-thousands-of-miles-from-the-markets-clients/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [My confidence came from always needing to compete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/my-confidence-came-from-always-needing-to-compete/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [Even if you've never picked up a club, or if you've been playing for a long time, there's always something new to learn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/even-if-you-ve-never-picked-up-a-club-or-if-you-ve-been-playing-for-a/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [Accelerating technology innovations such as ubiquitous sensors, cheap computing power, and 5G networks will open entirely new opportunities and challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/accelerating-technology-innovations-such-as-ubiquitous-sensors-cheap/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) [Explore all 77 Cathy Engelbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) ## More Feminism quotes > [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. 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Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) Yoram Wind [Browse all 15,705 Feminism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I joined a very male-dominated profession back in 1986. I wanted to work with big multinational Fortune 500 companies, but you don't come into the firm and automatically get those. So, quite frankly, a key to my success was that I found male mentors and male sponsors. 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