STEM Professor Receptiveness to Prospective Student Emails

This study used manipulations of individuation (individuated vs. non-individuated) and goal type (agentic vs. communal) to examine STEM professors’ receptiveness toward male and female prospective students’ email requests for meetings. Non-individuated students simply sent a meeting request; individuated students provided an additional statement highlighting their research experience. Agentic goal types focused on stereotypically “male” traits such as agency and leadership, and communal goal types focused on stereotypically “female” traits such as helping and serving. Emails were sent to a sample of 1,879 STEM professors in the U.S. who had previously recommended their female students for a career development workshop.