End-of-the-semester teaching evaluations hold consequential weight in professors’ career
outcomes, which can be problematic if these evaluations are affected by gender bias. This
research sought to examine gender bias in evaluations of professors through two
experimental studies (via a 15-minute online lecture and a university-sanctioned online
course), offering two ecologically valid manipulations of professor gender. Student
gender and field of study were examined as moderators of this gender bias, as effects may
be more pronounced among male raters compared to female raters, or among raters in
majors that underrepresent women compared to raters in other majors. Findings revealed
an effect of professor’s gender in the opposite direction: On average, students rated
female professors more positively than they did male professors. Student gender and field
of study did not affect professor ratings, nor did they moderate the effect of professor
gender.