New Study Reveals Gender Rating Gap in Online Reviews

A study led by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Erasmus School of Economics, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, reveals a significant gender rating gap in online reviews, with possible economic and social implications. The researchers found that women's average ratings on platforms such as Amazon, Google, and Yelp were consistently higher than men's average ratings. The analysis of over 1.2 billion reviews, supplemented by lab experiments, suggests this gap stems from women's greater reluctance to share negative feedback, possibly driven by societal pressures to avoid backlash.

Their findings were just published in Nature Human Behavior.

A new study conducted by Prof. Hila Riemer and Prof. Danny Shapira from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Dr. Andreas Bayerl from Erasmus School of Economics, and Dr. Yaniv Dover from The Hebrew University, has identified a significant and consistent gender rating gap in online reviews, revealing that women's average ratings are higher than men's across major platforms such as Amazon, Google, IMDb, TripAdvisor, and Yelp. Relying on the analysis of more than 1.2 billion actual online reviews, supplemented by two controlled lab experiments, this research suggests that gender differences in the willingness to share negative feedback drive this gap.

"Although we did not find evidence of gender differences in attitudes about products or experiences, our findings reveal that women are more hesitant to express negative opinions in online public forums. This reluctance may stem from societal expectations that place greater emphasis on communal and empathetic behavior in women, leading them to avoid backlash or negative evaluations," according to the researchers.

"Our findings point to a broader societal issue," the authors added, "Women are less likely to express dissatisfaction in online reviews, because they are more concerned about potential social consequences when expressing dissatisfaction."

Key findings from the study include:

• Women's average ratings are higher than men's by approximately 0.1 stars on a 5-point scale. Such a gap is important and impactful for online reviews, especially since small differences in online review scores lead to meaningful changes in ranking, which have significant economic implications.
• Lab experiments found that when dissatisfied, women were less likely than men to post a review, while satisfied women and men submitted reviews at similar rates.
• The gender rating gap holds across many contexts, platforms, and geographies, suggesting it is a pervasive issue in online review culture.

The researchers also offered potential solutions to reduce the bias. Suggestions included encouraging platforms to create more inclusive spaces where women feel comfortable sharing their honest opinions, including the option of anonymous reviews. The researchers noted, however, that anonymity could sometimes lead to more toxic environments, so platform managers should balance transparency with inclusiveness.

These findings have significant implications for consumers, businesses, online platforms, and society at large. Given online reviews' critical role in influencing purchasing decisions, the gender rating gap may distort perceptions of products and services. Small differences in ratings can lead to large shifts in rankings, potentially disadvantaging businesses or creating misinformed consumer choices.

"This research is a call to action for platforms, businesses, and society as a whole," the researchers emphasized. "To ensure fair representation of opinions, we need to address the factors that prevent individuals, particularly women, from sharing their true experiences, especially when they are dissatisfied."