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Rachael D. Robnett
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Expertise: Developmental psychology, Adolescent development, Psychology of gender, Academic achievement/career aspirations, Romantic relationships
About
Rachael Robnett is a developmental psychologist whose areas of expertise include adolescent development and gender development. Her research addresses the ways in which socialization, stereotypes, and society contour the attitudes and behaviors that people display in their daily lives.
Robnett's primary line of research provides insight into adolescents’ and young adults’ pursuit of careers related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). She is especially interested in identifying ways to bring more girls, women, and members of ethnic minority groups into STEM fields. Her research findings suggest that peers, self-efficacy, and hands-on research involvement may have important implications for underrepresented students’ pursuit of STEM careers.
Robnett’s second line of research examines the causes and implications of gender bias and gender-role adherence. Her work in this domain focuses on associations between gender-traditional ideologies and individuals’ preferences within the context of romantic relationships. For example, her work has examined people's preferences for marriage traditions such as marriage proposals and surname changes.
Education
- Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz
Rachael D. Robnett In The News
“Our findings indicate that people extrapolate from marital surname choices to make more general inferences about a couple’s gender-typed personality traits,” said Rachael Robnett, an assistant professor of psychology at UNLV, and the study’s co-author.
One of the topics that often comes up in premarital counseling is changing last names. Specifically, we’re talking about the long-standing custom of women dropping their maiden name and adopting their husband’s surname as their own.
The pending nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have royal watchers brushing up on royal naming practices and asking 'what's in a name?'
Deciding whether or not to take your partner's name when you get married is a pretty big decision, if only because your more traditional family members might raise an eyebrow if you or your spouse chooses to keep their own. Well, it looks like those traditionalists might be onto something, since a new study found that taking your partner's name in marriage can affect the power dynamic in a relationship. Researchers out of the University of Nevada conducted a three-part study in the United States and United Kingdom and concluded that when a man's wife doesn't take his name, he's perceived by others as less powerful and submissive.
Articles Featuring Rachael D. Robnett
UNLV researchers made international headlines this year with their discoveries. Here's a round up of some of our top stories of 2017.
UNLV study analyzes power dynamics in marital relationships and reveals perceptions of men whose wives retain their own surname.