The Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon is part of an ongoing global movement that aims to ensure Wikipedia is more representative of diverse talent in STEMM and their contributions to society. Participants will add and update pages to include the achievements of health and medical researchers who are women.
More than 43 milion people around the world use Wikipedia (45 per cent of which are women) and yet only 19 per cent of the people profiled on the site are women.
On Thursday, 7 April, Franklin Women - a social enterprise that empowers women pursuing careers across the health and medical research sector - and biopharmaceutical company AbbVie, held a Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon to elevate online recognition of women in STEMM.
This is the second time that Franklin Women and AbbVie Australia have joined forces to host the event.
WOB member and Franklin Women founder, Dr Melina Georgousakis, said the success of their first Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon highlighted how important grass roots events were in increasing awareness of gender bias online, but also to drive momentum towards change.
“Addressing gender bias on Wikipedia is not just about equity, it is also about ensuring that scientific discoveries and their impact on society are accurately captured. When people search for information online, Wikipedia is usually among the first results that appear and as such it plays a big role in informing people on the history of science and the role of women and other under-represented groups in the field,” said Dr Georgousakis.
Following the successful model of the 2019 Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon, this year’s event also saw participants receive full training and support from experienced Wikipedia editors.
We think this is a great idea and we are investigating doing same for women in board and leadership roles. Watch this space.
Gender bias on Wikipedia
- Visibility of women on Wikipedia is limited
- Only 19% of profiles are about women
- Since 2019, over 70,000 Wikipedia profiles about women added globally
- 85% of Wikipedia editors identify as male
For resources on how to make a Wikipedia submission, including a 'How to Edit Wikipedia' cheat sheet, click HERE
Also read:
Equal Honours?: Why nominating for an Australian Honour is a hindrance (and why we need more Wikipedia entries on women)