The month of March is Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day also happens in March on the 8th of 2020. In honor both, the #WikiHerStory initiative aims to help close the gender gap on Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopedia. Launched by the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia, #WikiHerStory brings together a collection of resources, events, and feature stories of the change-making women who make Wikipedia possible. It invites everyone to participate in adding content about women and their work to Wikipedia.
It’s a sad reality that women’s representation or lack thereof throughout history is a well-known issue, the Foundation is releasing research today outlining the problem. This data along with Wikipedia’s past research shows:
- Fewer than 20 percent of editors on Wikipedia identify as women
- More men than women have tried to edit Wikipedia at least once according to data from a YouGov survey spanning six regions and languages
- The same survey showed that 27 percent of men had edited Wikipedia at least once, compared to only 21 percent of women
During the month of March, #WikiHerStory aims to address the gender gap conversation head-on by highlighting the amazing Wikipedia volunteer-led projects and the individuals tackling this challenge worldwide.
#WikiHerStory is an open invitation for anyone who is passionate about inclusion and gender equity. To learn more visit: https://wikimediafoundation.org/our-work/addressing-wikipedias-gender-gap/.
For more information about Women’s History Month please visit: https://womenshistorymonth.gov/.
If you want to learn more or participate in International Women’s Day events please visit: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Events.
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Source: Wikipedia
