Aslam Amir
Professor Perry
ENG 2150-
05/14/23
Project 3
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that has become a go-to source for many students, researchers, and curious individuals looking to expand their knowledge on a variety of topics. However, one of the major criticisms of Wikipedia is its gender bias and exclusion of women. The website is predominantly written and edited by men, with less than 20% of its contributors being women. This lack of representation has resulted in a bias toward male perspectives, leading to a skewed view on women in history, society, and various fields. The gender bias on Wikipedia is evident in the way women are represented on the platform. Women’s contributions and achievements are often overlooked or downplayed, while male figures are given more attention and coverage. For example, on Wikipedia, there are more articles about male politicians, scientists, and artists than female ones. This misrepresentation can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and limit the visibility of women’s contributions in various fields.
Moreover, the exclusion of women from Wikipedia can have a significant impact on how women are perceived in society. Wikipedia is often used as a source of information by journalists, researchers, and educators, and its biased representation can influence how women are viewed and treated in these fields. When women are not included in the narrative, it can lead to their achievements being overlooked and their voices being silenced. To address this issue, various initiatives have been launched to increase the representation of women on Wikipedia. These initiatives aim to encourage more women to contribute to the platform, and to ensure that women’s perspectives and contributions are given equal weight to their male counterparts. For example, the WikiWomen’s Collaborative is a group of editors who work to increase the representation of women on Wikipedia by creating and improving articles about women.
Feminist theory encompasses a wide range of perspectives and approaches, including liberal feminism, socialist feminism, radical feminism, intersectional feminism, and postmodern feminism, among others. Each of these perspectives offers unique insights into the ways in which gender shapes our social world, and each seeks to promote greater equality and justice for women and marginalized groups in different ways. which seeks to achieve equality through legal and political reform, to radical feminism, which argues that patriarchy is deeply ingrained in society and requires a fundamental reorganization of social relations. Other strands of feminist theory include Marxist feminism, which focuses on the intersections between gender and class, and intersectional feminism, which recognizes that gender inequality is often compounded by other forms of oppression, such as racism, homophobia, and ableism.
The term “women in red” refers to a project initiated by Wikipedia aimed at improving the representation of notable women in the online encyclopedia. The project started in 2015 and is ongoing, with the aim of creating new articles or improving existing ones about women who have made significant contributions in various fields but have been overlooked in mainstream media. The name “women in red” comes from the fact that the Wikipedia entries for women who are biographies are highlighted in red. The project has gained momentum over the years, with the participation of editors from all over the world. Women in red aims to address the gender gap in Wikipedia, which has been a long-standing issue. According to a study conducted in 2011, only 16 percent of Wikipedia’s biographies were about women. The project seeks to increase that number and provide a more comprehensive and accurate representation of women’s contributions to history. Through the Women in Red project, Wikipedia hopes to inspire more women to participate in editing, and to contribute to a more inclusive and diverse online encyclopedia.
The exclusion of women on Wikipedia affects the way they are perceived in the public eye. The platform serves as a primary source of knowledge for millions of people worldwide, and the lack of representation of women on the site translates to a lack of recognition and appreciation for women’s contributions to society. The gender gap on Wikipedia has been shown to affect the visibility of women and their work, leading to a perpetuation of gender stereotypes and biases. This exclusion of women from the site also affects their ability to participate in online discussions and contribute to the development of knowledge on the site. many initiatives have been launched to address the gender gap on Wikipedia. These efforts include the creation of edit-a-thons, events where volunteers gather to write and edit Wikipedia articles about women, and the establishment of WikiProjects, which are groups of volunteers who work to improve the representation of women on the site. These initiatives have been successful in improving the representation of women on the site, but there is still much work to be done. The gender gap on Wikipedia is a well-documented issue that has garnered attention from scholars, activists, and journalists alike. The problem lies in the fact that Wikipedia’s user base is predominantly male, resulting in a lack of representation and coverage of women on the site.
