I don't jump in here very often anymore, but I think one of the points being overlooked in the discussion is the primary aspect of a mentor/mentee relationship - it's not the technical stuff, it's the other stuff - the social side, the networking, the obstacles, the exposure, the who you know, the unwritten rules, etc. These mentors are female and their primary target audience is female because that is who the mentors feel need their specific expertise and who they can provide the best and most appropriate assitance/advice to.
A mentor is an experienced advisor and supporter who advises and guides a younger, less experienced person. I'm sorry but male STEM workers simply aren't going to provide the same kind of advice, guidance and perspective for a young girl interested in a STEM field as can a female who has been there/done that, especially because of the history of bias that already has several examples posted on both sides of this discussion.
The point of this program is to connect what I think nearly everyone on this thread has agreed is a rare resource - experienced female STEM workers - with students interested in the STEM fields. The boys interested in STEM fields have lots of other exposure to potential mentors - teachers, professors, parents even in their day to day life. The girls, not so much.
Those of us with daughters interested in the STEM fields seem to find very few available mentors who are female, without intensive effort. The girls interested in STEM fields need access to female mentors both to truly understand the bias and gender issues that may be found in day to day working conditions, but also in order to figure out how to deal with those issues and build a support network. I could find male mentors easily for my DS. This resource provides a concentrated access to female mentors that many young girls would otherwise have no access to at all.
