Identify the issue
Common Concerns: Advisor Issues
- Learn about the types of experiences that women have with their advisors.
- Learn what good advising is and what your advisor's role is.
“The men in my program consistently receive all of the challenging projects that lead to promising opportunities. It’s as if my own advisor doesn’t believe I, as a woman, can handle more.”
“My advisor’s expectations are usually so ambiguous, if not virtually unattainable, that I often wonder if I’ll ever get through this program.”
“Throughout my pregnancy, my faculty advisor was not at all supportive of my desire to take some time off. I felt as if I was jeopardizing my education and future career by trying to tend to my new family.”
“I’m treated more like a wife or an assistant than a colleague or even an advisee, being asked to run countless personal errands and chauffeur him around.”
“How am I supposed to learn to be an independent scholar, when all of my time and work is spent on my advisor’s projects?”
“My advisor treats me more formally than his male advisees, and perhaps it would even be inappropriate if he and I were to socialize more casually like he does with my male colleagues. However, I feel like I’m missing out on opportunities because of this
Among all the elements that contribute to the graduate school experience and outcomes, the most important is the student’s working relationship with the research advisor. If the advising relationship is strong, your advisor will be your source of support and buffer against the impact of personal and academic challenges that you encounter in the doctoral program.
In STEM doctoral programs, more than in other fields, students typically have more interdependent relationships with their research advisors since they rely on the advisor’s research grants for funding and career sponsorship. The PhD in science is primarily an apprenticeship with an advisor in research.
Consequently, in the CareerWISE Coach, we differentiate between your advisor, that is the faculty member who has primary responsibility for guiding your research, from other faculty who supplement or provide other types of support. [See What You Want in an Advisor and What You Want in a Mentor for more on this topic.]
Your advisor’s role is multifaceted and changes over time. The research advisor serves as your primary guide to:
- the academic program
- the dissertation process
- research and professional opportunities
- the discipline at large
A positive relationship with an advisor is a strong predictor of satisfaction with the PhD program, research productivity, enhanced research self-efficacy, and completion of the doctoral degree (Golde, 2005; Litalien & Guay, 2015; Paglis, Green, & Bauer, 2006; Zhao, Golde, & McCormick, 2007). In addition, the advising relationship is associated with the retention of highly qualified women in science and career decision-making, such as whether to pursue an academic career.
Two types of support from advisors are considered to be key in strong advising alliances: Instrumental support and psychosocial support. The combination appears to be especially important for countering the sometimes-unwelcoming environments that women and underrepresented minorities face in STEM graduate programs (NASEM, 2020; Primé, Bernstein, Wilkins, & Bekki, 2015; Wilkins, et al., 2021). [See Climate for more on this topic.]
Instrumental support refers to the advisor’s direct, active, tangible, and operational help in academic, intellectual, and career domains. This type of support includes:
- guiding research
- providing feedback
- setting clear expectations
- collaborating on research projects and publication
- providing financial support
- sponsoring the student for fellowships and awards
- providing career guidance
- introducing the student to internship, professional, and employment opportunities
- showcasing and championing
- serving as an advocate
- troubleshooting when program issues come up
Psychosocial support refers to the attention of the advisor to the affective elements of the student’s experience. Advisors provide psychosocial support by:
- Demonstrating caring and empathy for the student
- Communicating emotional support
- Providing encouragement and affirmation
- Recognizing the student’s progress and accomplishments
- Offering comfort and safety for open expression
Assessing both factors and working with your advisor on them is important for accomplishing milestones in the program. It is not unusual for students to find that their research advisors do not provide all the elements of support that they would like. In those cases, identifying other faculty to provide supplemental mentoring is a good option. See the module on What You Want in a Mentor for more on this topic.
Self-test
Which of the following is the most important to consider in your relationship with your advisor?
- A. The prestige/renown of your advisor
- B. Your advisor’s knowledge in a particular area or domain
- C. The relative match between you and your advisor’s expectations
- D. The professional network into which your advisor can introduce you after graduation
About 1 in 4 doctoral students reports that they would change research advisors if they could (Woolston, 2017). Problematic advising relationships are associated with longer degree completion times and dropout intentions (Ferreira, 2003; Litalien & Guay, 2015; Lovitts, 2001).
The advising relationship appears to be less supportive for women. Both qualitative and quantitative studies have identified areas of difficulty.
- Of women who finished their degrees late, three times as many reported receiving poor advising, as compared to those who finished early (Maher, Ford, & Thompson, 2004).
- Twice as many female late-finishers reported that faculty actually thwarted their degree completion, whereas many early-finishers expressed that faculty facilitated their progress (Maher, Ford, & Thompson, 2004).
- Women report significantly lower satisfaction with advisors than men (Moyer, Salovey, & Casey-Cannon, 1999; Stockard, Rohlfing, & Richman, 2021; Zhao, Golde, & McCormack, 2007).
- Women more often than men report that their relationships with advisors are more formal, distant, and less collegial (Maher, Ford, & Thompson, 2004).
- Doctoral women in chemistry, especially women who identified as underrepresented minorities, report significantly fewer positive interactions with their advisors compared to other students (Stockard, Rohlfing, & Richman, 2021).
- Doctoral women in chemistry, in comparison to men and students in biology, agreed less that their advisor had high expectations for them, asked for their opinion, and knew how to deal with female students effectively (Ferreira, 2003).
- In comparison to men and white women in the Stockard et al (2021) study, Women of Color were the least likely among all students to report that their advisors encouraged them to pursue their goals, advocated for them, gave regular feedback, or involved them in publications or presentations.
- Women of color in STEM report colorblindness from their advisors (McGee & Bentley, 2017).
- Women report communication difficulties with advisors (Cabay, Bernstein, Rivers, & Fabert, 2018; O’Meara, Knudson, & Jones, 2013).
It is important to have standards with respect to your advising relationship just like you have for your academic work. If your needs are not being met, chances are that you will feel unsupported or frustrated. It’s good to recognize when there’s a mismatch of what you want and what you’re getting so that you can make the necessary adjustments. There are ways to address these issues, as awkward or impossible as they may seem.
What You Want in an Advisor is a module that guides you in reviewing what your priorities are in selecting an advisor and working with them.
How to Help Your Advisor Help You is a module that offers ideas for ways to strengthen your relationship with your advisor.
What You Want in a Mentor is a module that provides ideas for how you can supplement what your advisor provides with various forms of support from multiple mentors
Forging a positive relationship with a graduate advisor may be challenging and frustrating, particularly for women, who as a group receive less attention, fewer resources, and experience other forms of subtle or overt discrimination in science and engineering graduate programs.
Throughout the CareerWISE Coach, strategies are suggested for developing and sustaining positive working relationships with your advisor. The Problem Solving Method will direct you to a number of helpful strategies
Cabay, M., Bernstein, B. L., Rivers, M., & Fabert, N. (2018). Chilly climates, balancing acts, and shifting pathways: What happens to women in STEM doctoral programs. Social Sciences, 7(2), 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7020023
Ferreira, M. (2003). Gender issues related to graduate student attrition in two science departments. International Journal of Science Education, 25(8), 969-989. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690305026
Fox, M. F. (2001). Women, science, and academia: Graduate education and careers. Gender & Society, 15(5), 654–666. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124301015005002
Golde, C. M. (2005). The role of the department and discipline in doctoral student attrition: Lessons from four departments. The Journal of Higher Education, 76(6), 669-700. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2005.11772304
Litalien, D., & Guay, F. (2015). Dropout intentions in PhD studies: A comprehensive model based on interpersonal relationships and motivational resources. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 41, 218-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2015.03.004
Lovitts, B. E. (2001). Leaving the ivory tower: The causes and consequences of departure from doctoral study. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Maher, M. A., Ford, M. E., & Thompson, C. M. (2004). Degree progress of women doctoral students: Factors that constrain, facilitate, and differentiate. Review of Higher Education, 27(3), 385–408. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2004.0003
McGee, E. O., & Bentley, L. (2017). The troubled success of Black women in STEM. Cognition and Instruction, 35(4), 265-289.https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2017.1355211
Moyer, A., Salovey, P., & Casey-Cannon, S. (1999). Challenges facing female doctoral students and recent graduates. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 23(3), 607–630. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1999.tb00384.x
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2020). The science of effective mentorship in STEMM. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25568
O'Meara, K., Knudsen, K., & Jones, J. (2013). The role of emotional competencies in faculty-doctoral student relationships. The Review of Higher Education, 36(3), 315-347. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2013.0021
Paglis, L. L., Green, S. G., & Bauer, T. N. (2006). Does adviser mentoring add value? A longitudinal study of mentoring and doctoral student outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 47(4), 451-476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-005-9003-2
Pfund, C., Byars-Winston, A., Branchaw, J., Hurtado, S., & Eagan, K. (2016). Defining attributes and metrics of effective research mentoring relationships. AIDS and Behavior, 20(2), 238-248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1384-z
Primé, D. R., Bernstein, B. L., Wilkins, K. G., & Bekki, J. M. (2015). Measuring the advising alliance for female graduate students in science and engineering: An emerging structure. Journal of Career Assessment, 23(1), 64-78. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072714523086
Schlosser, L. Z., & Gelso, C. J. (2001). Measuring the working alliance in advisor–advisee relationships in graduate school. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 48, 157–167. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.48.2.157
Stockard, J., Rohlfing, C. M., & Richmond, G. L. (2021). Equity for women and underrepresented minorities in STEM: Graduate experiences and career plans in chemistry. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(4). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2020508118
Sverdlik, A., Hall, N. C., McAlpine, L., & Hubbard, K. (2018). The PhD experience: A review of the factors influencing doctoral students’ completion, achievement, and well-being. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 13(1), 361-388. https://doi.org/10.28945/4113
Wilkins-Yel, K. G., Bekki, J.M., Arnold, A.C., Bernstein, B. L., Coley, C.E., Natarajan, M. W., & Randall, A.K. (2021). Understanding the Impact of Personal Challenges and Advisor Support on STEM Persistence among Graduate Women of Color. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000236
Woolston, C. (2017). Graduate survey: A love–hurt relationship. Nature, 550(7677), 549-552. https://doi.org/10.1038/nj7677-549a
Zhao, C. M., Golde, C. M., & McCormick, A. C. (2007). More than a signature: How advisor choice and advisor behavior affect doctoral student satisfaction. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 31(3), 263-281. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098770701424983
Special Characteristics of Your Advisor and Struggling with Life Balance Issues
Advisor's experiences encourage well-informed career decisions.
Key Elements in Good Advising
The importance of being open and honest with your advisor.
Persuading an Advisor
Suggestions for defining research.
Separate Advisors and Mentors
The importance of having a variety of mentors throughout your graduate experience.
Advisor Issues
How a positive advisor challenged his students to think for themselves.
Pros and Cons of an International Advisor
Experiences with an international advisor.
Options for Support
Urges students to seek multiple campus resources for support.
Stubbornness and Tenacity
Highlights the obstacles faced when trying to have research reviewed by the advisor and emphasizes the steps necessary to make adequate progress in the program.
Hearing from Students and Having an Impact
The importance of giving back to students and making an impact in their future education and career choices
Explains that satisfaction comes from working with students and the opportunity to make new disco
Explains that satisfaction comes from working with students and the opportunity to make new disco
The importance of learning from mistakes and persisting despite setbacks.
The importance of learning from your effort, regardless of the outcome.
Advice on how to seek out support in graduate school and how to bounce back from setbacks.
Shares the excitement that comes from collaborating with others to make new discoveries.
Elaborates on the standard practice of science despite cultural differences.
Strategies for negotiating as a faculty member.
When it's time to graduate and when it's important to start learning on the job.
Highlights the transition into graduate level science where the answers aren't known.
The importance of goal setting and using others' experiences to make strong choices about your own p
Advice for balancing research and fun in graduate school.
Advice for students: stay focused, ask questions, and remain open-minded when working with others.
How to adapt experimental methods to match a lifestyle.
How to negotiate a schedule for raising a family and overcoming setbacks in a new career.
The importance of giving yourself credit and remembering why you are doing what you're doing.
The importance of peer relationships and the learning process that takes place despite concrete outc
Working with graduate students is a rewarding aspect of being a faculty member.
Advice for graduate students on how to maintain their confidence, courage, and dignity.
Emphasizes peer relationships and departmental climate.
How to handle being accused of having an affair with the advisor.
Explains an interdisciplinary branch of physics and the passion for research, service, and teaching.
Teaching as the impetus for work.
Discusses necessary precautions to take as a female student working late nights on campus.
Discusses necessary precautions to take as a female student working late nights on campus.
Being accused of cheating and regrets about not being more assertive.
Being accused of cheating and regrets about not being more assertive.
The importance of self-authorship and using graduate school as a process for self-definition.
Reminder that support can be found in unexpected places.
Urges female graduate students to persist in the field of mathematics because the field needs divers
How being unaware of being the only woman was advantageous to program success.
Alternatives to departmental isolation and the importance of networking.
Environmental issues faced in academia.
The importance of first impressions in choosing a graduate program.
Satisfaction comes from interacting with intelligent people across cultures.
Adjusting physical appearance to fit in with peers.
The importance of remembering that graduate school is only one part of a larger career.
Describes an incident of receiving a lower grade than a man for similar work.
The opportunity for freedom, growth, and collaboration as a faculty member.
How to survive the aftermath of a sexual harassment incident.
Highlights the gendered assumptions encountered as a faculty member.
The Importance of Having Positive Working Relationships: A Case Study
An alternative way to approach being the only woman in a given situation.
Contributions to the field are reflected through choices.
The importance of sharing stories of sexual harassment with others to gain support.
The importance of finding the right advisor to support your research goals.
How to handle being accused of having an affair with the advisor.
Explains when to confront a problem and when it may be better to maneuver around it.
How to be upfront, direct, and assertive when confronting instances of sexual harassment.
Highlights the universal customs of science.
Class performance builds confidence to remain in program.
Captures the annoyance of male colleagues making sexist assumptions and the challenges with conferen
The importance of recognizing the progress that has been made by women in science fields.
Advice for accomplishing your academic goals without making unnecessary compromises.
Emphasizes the challenge with saying no, but the importance of learning to do so.
How to make friends with colleagues to encourage a supportive environment.
Underscores the challenges that come from being the only woman in an academic department and gives s
Highlights an experience in which peers were not only colleagues, but also friends.
How the physical space in a laboratory allowed for collaboration among colleagues.
The importance of a good leader in setting standards for diversity, climate, and tenure policies.
How to observe others' reactions to subtle comments in order to gauge an appropriate response.
Urges students not to get wrapped into issues that do not directly involve them.
Departmental reactions to the choice to have children.
How to refute sexist comments and challenge gendered assumptions.
The importance of sharing stories of sexual harassment with others and realizing that you are not al
Confronting a male colleague with contradictory findings at a conference.
How colleagues can assist in making the transition into graduate life easier by sharing information
Captures the small but noticeable annoyances that come with being the only woman.
The importance of picking your battles to avoid unfair labeling.
Reminder that it is not necessary to feel comfortable socially to do good science.
Gender stereotypes faced in getting into graduate school and conducting research.
How to seek support from administrators outside the department when dealing with departmental sexism
The first realization that being a woman in science was outside the norm.
Challenges of being international and female, particularly with regards to an academic career and th
Suggestions for how to deal with sexist comments.
Playing a variety of roles as the only woman in the department.
The process of establishing yourself in the same department as your spouse.
Emphasizes positive peer relationships within her cohort.
The challenges of working in male-dominated academic environments and the negative stereotypes assoc
The feasibility of pursuing a family and science.
The importance of hearing other people's stories.
The importance of understanding priorities and allocating resources accordingly.
Advises how to keep family informed about research goals and progression from student to faculty mem
Explains some of the setbacks in dating relationships.
Advises students to continue to pursue their education because the payoff is self-respect.
The importance of believing in yourself, admitting your mistakes, and continuing to do what you love
How to accept non-traditional relationships and lifestyles in academia.
Notes the challenges of a dual career marriage and the obstacles in fighting for tenure and balancin
The process of overcoming setbacks related to career options and personal relationships.
How to balance motherhood responsibilities in graduate school.
The importance of supportive peer relationships.
Being married in graduate school and having children as a faculty member.
Advisor's experiences encourage well-informed career decisions.
The importance of a supportive network of colleagues.
Doing something useful to make a difference and how to appreciate a happy, supportive work environme
Taking time off before pursuing her PhD.
How a supportive department and a modified teaching schedule allowed for maternity leave.
How to sustain taking time off and pursuing the PhD later in life.
Advises how to keep family informed about research goals and progression from student to faculty mem
The importance of a supportive extended family in helping to balance school and children.
The importance of having a number of things in your life that bring you joy and satisfaction.
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately giving yourself recognition for your suc
The importance of learning over time and remaining positive in the face of criticism.
Motivation for doing work: interacting with students and doing research that can make a difference i
Emphasizes the challenge with saying no, but the importance of learning to do so.
The importance of remaining passionate and remembering that the PhD opens doors.
The importance of defining clear goals, remaining self-confident, and learning to say no.
The importance of allowing yourself the opportunity to change your mind and reconsider your goals.
The importance of knowing what you want and expecting tradeoffs on the path to get it.
Making discoveries and collaborating with others brings satisfaction.
Creating a schedule and meeting an advisor's expectations.
Advises graduate students to take a semester off if they choose to have a child because it is too ch
Explains the role children play in career choices.
Using leisure activities to relieve stress and build friendships.
The satisfaction that comes from working with colleagues and interacting with others.
The decision to get married in graduate school.
The importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle to alleviate stress.
Addresses personal relationship sacrifices.
The importance of nurturing relationships outside of academia.
Explains the choice to have children in graduate school.
Challenges with being married to a fellow academician and finding faculty positions.
How a flexible schedule as a professor made it possible to have a family and a career.
The importance of evaluating your priorities to create balance and happiness.
Appreciation for advisor's assistance in transitioning to the US.
Emphasizes the joy in working with others and giving back to society.
Chronicles the evolution of a career over time.
Suggestions for how to increase women's participation in science with an emphasis on policy change.
The importance of being open and honest with your advisor.
How a positive advisor challenged his students to think for themselves.
Highlights the obstacles faced when trying to have research reviewed by the advisor and emphasizes t
The importance of having a variety of mentors throughout your graduate experience.
Challenges faced with establishing yourself as an independent researcher separate from an influentia
The importance of asking questions and searching for creative solutions to new problems.
The importance of finding a good advisor and making sure to get everything in writing.
Challenges in confronting the advisor with news of pregnancy.
Experiences with an international advisor.
How to maintain good relationships with colleagues while being motivated to finish the program qu
The importance of giving back to students and making an impact in their future education and care
An Arizona State University project, supported by the National Science Foundation under grants 0634519, 0910384 and 1761278
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. © 2021 CareerWISE. All rights reserved. Privacy | Legal
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