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Gender Bias in Student Evaluations of Teaching: Do Debiasing Campaigns Work?

Author

Listed:
  • Ayllón, Sara

    (Universitat de Girona)

  • Zamora, Camila

    (Autonomous University of Barcelona)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a field experiment aimed at reducing the gender bias in teaching evaluations at a higher education institution. In the intervention, before they completed the teaching evaluation questionnaire, students were individually randomized in three groups. One third received an email invitation to watch a video that informed them of the existence of implicit bias (treatment 1). Another third of the students received an email invitation to watch a video with an explicit message that made them aware of the presence of gender bias in teaching evaluations (treatment 2). This second video also mentioned the fact that the academic literature has shown that this form of discrimination often originates with male students. At the end of both videos, all the students treated were asked to avoid displaying prejudice when they completed the questionnaire. The final third of students was assigned to the control group and did not receive any message. The results indicate that the video on implicit bias served to reduce the score gap between male and female lecturers. However, the video on gender bias had an unintended consequence: male students in the treatment group awarded their female teachers even lower scores than did the control group — confirming the risk of backlash or reactance in this kind of debiasing campaign. Such an effect was found to be particularly strong in female-dominated academic contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Ayllón, Sara & Zamora, Camila, 2025. "Gender Bias in Student Evaluations of Teaching: Do Debiasing Campaigns Work?," IZA Discussion Papers 17632, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17632
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rooth, Dan-Olof, 2010. "Automatic associations and discrimination in hiring: Real world evidence," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 523-534, June.
    2. Alexia Delfino, 2024. "Breaking Gender Barriers: Experimental Evidence on Men in Pink-Collar Jobs," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 114(6), pages 1816-1853, June.
    3. Boring, Anne & Philippe, Arnaud, 2021. "Reducing discrimination in the field: Evidence from an awareness raising intervention targeting gender biases in student evaluations of teaching," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    4. Eliana Avitzour & Adi Choen & Daphna Joel & Victor Lavy, 2020. "On the Origins of Gender-Biased Behavior: The Role of Explicit and Implicit Stereotypes," NBER Working Papers 27818, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Rieger, Matthias & Voorvelt, Katherine, 2016. "Gender, ethnicity and teaching evaluations: Evidence from mixed teaching teamsAuthor-Name: Wagner, Natascha," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 79-94.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender bias; field experiment; gender discrimination; teaching evaluations; higher education; Spain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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