Who Is Biased? Heterogeneity in Gender Bias in Evaluations

Stephanie El Khoury

AEA Papers and Proceedings, 2026, vol. 116, 594-598

Abstract: Professor review websites are widely used by students but may transmit biased information. This paper examines who generates gender bias in teaching evaluations. Using scraped instructor data from RateMyProfessor.com, I document descriptive evidence of a gender gap. I then conduct a randomized experiment in which students evaluate identical teaching content delivered with male or female voice-overs. The results show a causal gender penalty of about 0.11 points on a 1–5 scale. This penalty is concentrated among students who actively post online reviews, suggesting that bias is driven by a subset of reviewers rather than the broader student population.

JEL-codes: D83 I23 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20261120

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