Abstract
Using an experimental design, male (n = 41) and female (n = 46) undergraduate students in the southeastern USA evaluated an identical written lecture by a male and female professor on pay disparities between men and women in the workforce suggesting sex discrimination. Regardless of the students’ sex, the male professor and his lecture was rated more positively and less sexist than the female professor. Moderated multiple regression analysis indicated that more traditional and gender stereotypical attitudes toward women in male students were related to greater sexism ratings of the female professor compared to the male professor whereas; no differences on ratings of sexism between the male and female professor were found for male students with more liberal attitudes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Arbuckle, J., & Williams, B. D. (2003). Students’ perceptions of expressiveness: Age and gender effects on teacher evaluations. Sex Roles, 49, 507–516.
Bachen, C. M., McLoughlin, M. M., & Garcia, S. S. (1999). Assessing the role of gender in college students’ evaluations of faculty. Communication Education, 48, 193–210.
Baker, P, & Cobb, M. (1997). Gender matters most: The interaction of gendered expectations, feminist course content, and pregnancy in student course evaluations. Teaching Sociology, 25, 29–43.
Basow, S. (1995). Student evaluations of college professors: When gender matters. Journal of Educational Psychology, 87, 656–665.
Basow, S. (2000). Best and worst professors: Gender patterns in students’ choices. Sex Roles, 43, 407–417.
Basow, S., Phelen, J. E., & Capotosto, L. (2006). Gender patterns in college students’ choices of their best and worst professors. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30, 25–35.
Basow, S., & Silberg, N. (1987). Student evaluations of college professors: Are female and male professors rated differently? Journal of Educational Psychology, 79, 308–314.
Bennett, S. K. (1982). Student perceptions of and expectations for male and female instructors: Evidence relating to the question of gender bias in teaching evaluations. Journal of Educational Psychology, 79, 170–179.
Biernat, M. (2003). Toward a broader view of social stereotyping. American Psychologist, 58, 1019–1027.
Biernat, M., & Manis, M. (1994). Shifting standards and stereotype-based judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 5–20.
Biernat, M., Manis, M., & Nelson, T. E. (1991). Stereotypes and standards of judgment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 485–499.
Biernat, M., & Vescio, T. K. (2002). She swings, she hits, she’s great, she’s benched: Implications of gender-based shifting standards for judgment and behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 66–77.
Brannon, L. (2005). Gender: Psychological perspectives. Boston: Pearson Education.
Bronstein, P. (1993). Challenges, rewards, and costs for feminist and ethnic minority scholars. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 53, 61–70.
Burns-Glover, A., & Veith, D. (1995). Revisiting gender and teaching evaluations: Sex still makes a difference. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 10, 69–80.
Carli, L. L. (1990). Gender, language, and influence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 941–951.
Carli, L. L. (2001). Gender and social influence. Journal of Social Issues, 57, 725–741.
Centra, J. A., & Gaubatz, N. B. (2000). Is there gender bias in student evaluations of teaching? Journal of Higher Education, 71, 17–33.
Davis, N. (1992). Teaching about inequality: Student resistance, paralysis, and rage. Teaching Sociology, 20, 232–238.
Eagly, A. H., & Karau, S. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Bulletin, 108, 233–256.
Feldman, K. A. (1992). College students’ views of male and female college teachers: Part I—evidence from the social laboratory and experiments. Research in Higher Education, 33, 317–375.
Feldman, K. A. (1993). College students’ views of male and female college teachers: Part I—evidence from students’ evaluations of their classroom teachers. Research in Higher Education, 34, 151–211.
Ferree, M. M., & McQuillan, J. (1998). Methodological and policy issues in university salary studies. Gender and Society, 12, 7–39.
Foschi, M. (2000). Double standards for competence: Theory and research. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 21–42.
Frieze, I. H., Ferligoj, A., Kogovsek, T., Rener, T., Horvat, J., & Sarlija, N. (2003). Gender-role attitudes in university students in the United States, Slovenia, and Croatia. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27, 256–261.
Kierstead, D., D’Agostino, P., & Dill, H. (1988). Sex role stereotyping of college professors: Bias in students’ ratings of instructors. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 342–344.
Kite, M. E. (2001). Changing times, changing gender roles: Who do we want women and men to be? In R. K. Unger (Ed.), Handbook of the psychology of women and gender (pp. 215-227). New York: Wiley.
Kobrynowicz, D., & Biernat, M. (1997). Decoding subjective evaluations: How stereotypes provide shifting standards. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 33, 579–601.
Lott, B. (1985). The devaluation of women’s competence. Journal of Social Issues, 41, 43–60.
Miller, J., & Chamberlain, M. (2000). Women are teachers, men are professors: A study of student perceptions. Teaching Sociology, 28I, 283–298.
Neitz, M. J. (1985). Resistance to feminist analysis. Teaching Sociology, 12, 339–353.
Rakow, L. (1991). Gender and race in the classroom: Teaching way out of line. Feminist Teacher, 6, 10–13.
Spence, J. T., Helmreich, R., & Stapp, J. (1973). A short version of the Attitudes toward Women Scale (AWS). Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 2, 219–220.
Sprague, J., & Massoni, K. (2005). Student evaluations and gender expectations: What we can’t count can hurt us. Sex Roles, 53, 779–793.
West, C., & Fenstermaker, S. (1993). Doing difference. Gender and Society, 9, 8–37.
West, C., & Zimmerman, D. (1987). Doing gender. Gender and Society, 1, 125–151.
Williams, J. E., & Best, D. L. (1990). Measuring sex stereotypes: A multination study. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abel, M.H., Meltzer, A.L. Student Ratings of a Male and Female Professors’ Lecture on Sex Discrimination in the Workforce. Sex Roles 57, 173–180 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9245-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9245-x