Algorithms propagate gender bias in the marketplace- with consumers’ cooperation

Recent research shows that algorithms learn societal biases from large text corpora, revealing how such biases shape consumer behavior in the marketplace. Through meticulous examination of billions of online documents, Dr. Rathee's recent publication in the Journal of Consumer Psychology (JCP) elucidates how algorithms learn to associate women with negative consumer psychographic attributes, thus perpetuating gender stereotypes. Further, a series of rigorous field experiments underscore the delivery of gender-biased digital advertisements and product recommendations across various platforms and product categories. By empirically examining the role of consumers in co-producing algorithmic gender bias, this research sheds light on how their interaction with biased ads reinforces stereotypes.