Graduate Students' Relationships with Their Male and Female Major Professors

Abstract

Structured interviews of ten female studentswith male major professors, ten female students withfemale major professors, ten male students with malemajor professors, and ten male students with female major professors were content-analyzed forevidence of differences related to student-professorgender combination. These quantitative and qualitativecontent analyses indicated no differences inprofessional relationships. However, with respect topsychosocial relationships, there were some advantagesto male students and disadvantages to female studentsassociated with having male major professors. Forexample, compared to other gender combinations, femaleswith male major professors made the greatest number ofnegative psychosocial comments and met with their majorprofessors in the fewest number of nonacademic environments. Males with male major professorsmet in the greatestnumber of nonacademic environmentsand placed their major professors on their lists ofsupportive people most often.