‘Nice girls’ and Uber: Why the rating system is a gender trap

After sharing the secret shame of my poor Uber passenger rating nationally (I was a 4.23 out of 5) I was a little bit nervous hopping into an Uber this week.

I was on my way to a work dinner and as I climbed into the car and said hello, the driver turned around and said “I really like the perfume you are wearing”.

Women are concerned they are being rated down as Uber passengers. Credit: AP

This was somewhat disturbing as I didn’t have perfume on but I just laughed and said thanks before taking out my phone and checking emails.

Perhaps I’m someone who can’t take a compliment and it was an innocuous comment but it made me feel uncomfortable so my natural instinct was to end the conversation.

As I did, I thought to myself, another poor rating here I come.

It seems my experience as a woman taking an Uber is not unique.

I may have been surprised to discover my low Uber rating, but after writing about it I’ve received lots of feedback from women who believe their rating has been impacted by their gender.

I asked Uber what the average passenger ratings are for women and men, but Uber said it could not release this information within my “very short deadline” of more than a day.

One reader ‘AP’ said: “I've noticed my rating drop after rides where the drivers have been creepy or suggestive and become annoyed when I stop responding. I've had drivers ask me 'What's wrong, why are you quiet, you seem like a fun girl' after asking me very personal questions.”

This was eerily similar to one Uber driver who had told me “Your rating is very low, but you seem like a nice girl".

AP says she always waits for her Uber early, sits in the front and exchanges pleasantries but won't continue responding if she feels uncomfortable.

“My partner takes Ubers almost every day, he sits in the back on his phone and rarely talks,” she says. “His rating is amazing. I've struggled to get mine over 4.6.”

The reality is that the overwhelming majority of Uber drivers are men and while I'm sure the overwhelming majority do not discriminate against passengers as a result of their gender, it appears some of them do.

Dee Madigan, creative director in advertising and a regular panellist on the Gruen Transfer, has an Uber rating of 4.66 and says anecdotally it appears women do get lower ratings than men.

“Men don’t like it when you don’t talk to them,” she says. “I have got the right not to talk about something with a stranger.”

There are societal expectations on women to be 'nice' so it seems possible women are more at risk of being given a lower rating for not making conversation or being chatty compared to men.

What’s even more disturbing is that women could be given a lower rating for not responding to drivers coming onto them.

“It’s not just about being nice,” Madigan says. “I have had times when drivers have been flirtatious, and that makes me uncomfortable. Not only are you in a car with them, often they know where you live. If I’m feeling uncomfortable I will shut down the conversation and then I get marked down.”

Uber's culture has come under scrutiny in the past with complaints by employees about its sexist culture and female Uber drivers campaigning for safer working conditions.

Uber driver Kate Miller was assaulted by a passenger. She is calling for improved safety conditions for female ride-share drivers.Credit: Eddie Jim

Uber’s ‘community guidelines’ outlaw both drivers and passengers flirting, commenting on someone’s appearance and asking whether someone is single.

But Uber's spokesperson would not say what, if anything, Uber does to ensure that women are not discriminated against in the ratings process.

All the spokesperson for Uber would say was that passenger ratings are calculated as an average of the ratings received from drivers and are anonymous.

“Candid, constructive, and respectful feedback is beneficial for everyone,” the spokesperson said.

Although perhaps not so beneficial if you are a woman.

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