Gender bias favors female nursing students in the written examination evaluation: Crossover study

Abstract

Background: Gender discrimination against male nursing students has been reported and attributed to the female-dominated tradition of nursing profession.

Objectives: To investigate gender bias in the written examination evaluation of undergraduate nursing students.

Design: One-group crossover study with two phases.

Setting and participants: Four male and four female examiners provided 400 previously graded examination scripts (50 each) of nursing students.

Methods: Participating examiners were asked to re-grade scripts after any information about student identity was covered to allow blind marking. Script degrees after non-blind and blind marking were compared within male and within female students, as well as between male and female students.

Results: Significantly more female students' degrees shifted downwards and less of them shifted upwards compared with male students' degrees after blind marking, while mean degree of female students was significantly lower. Among male examiners, significantly more female students' degrees shifted downwards and less of them shifted upwards compared with male students' degrees after blind marking, while mean degree of male students was significantly higher. Among female examiners, mean degree of both male and female students was significantly lower after blind marking. No central tendency bias was detected.

Conclusions: Gender bias in favor of females was detected in the written examination evaluation of nursing students. This unequal treatment may prevent retention of males in nursing studies and profession.

Keywords: Blind marking; Examination evaluation; Gender bias; Male examiners; Written examination.