How Unbecoming of You: Gender Biases in Perceptions of Ridesharing Performance

Abstract

It has been suggested that the gig-economy’s elimination of traditional arm’s-length transactions may introduce bias into perceptions of quality. In this work, we build upon research that has identified biases based on ascriptive characteristics in rating systems, and examine gender biases in ridesharing platforms. In doing so, we extend research to consider not simply willingness to transact, but post transaction perceptions of quality. We also examine which types of tasks may yield more biased ratings for female drivers. We find no differences in ratings across gender in the presence of a high quality experience. However, when there is a lower quality experience, penalties for women accrue faster, notably when poorly performed tasks are perceived to be highly gendered.