2019:Diversity/How to narrow the Visual Gender Gap
 | This is an Accepted submission for the Diversity space at Wikimania 2019. |
Title[edit | edit source]
How to narrow the Visual Gender Gap
Description[edit | edit source]
It is well known that the gender gap affects the neutrality, the credibility, and the completeness of Wikipedia. In this lecture I will show that we have only tried to narrow only four types of gender gaps, and have neglected to address the fifth one. The four types are:
- Quantitative (content) - a lower number of articles about women than about men.
- Quantitative (editors) - a lower number of female editors compared to male. We have tried to increase the number of female editors in various ways in order to address gaps 1 and 2.
- Linguistic - using biased language (this is harder to fix as it arises from the core of the language) and thus it is more difficult to address but not impossible.
- Cultural - the effect of cultural bias on the articles, which is very difficult to address.
The fifth gender gap which we have hardly ever addressed is the visual one. We have done a lot of research on the problem of the Wiki editor and its affect on the gender gap, but we have not addressed the visuals of the Wikipedia articles in this regard. I.e., how the "looks" of an article effect the above gaps. I have devised a scale to measure the visual gap across various Wikipedias, and in this lecture I will present it and suggest solutions.
Relationship to the theme[edit | edit source]
This session will address the conference theme — Wikimedia, Free Knowledge and the Sustainable Development Goals — in the following manner: Narrowing the gender gap will enhance the diversity of writers of wikipedia.
Session outcomes[edit | edit source]
At the end of the session, the following will have been achieved: Small changes done to various Wikipedia languages which will make Wikipedia more friendly towards female readers.
Session leader(s)[edit | edit source]
- Deror Avi
Usernames[edit | edit source]
Affiliation/country[edit | edit source]
- Board Member - Wikimedia Israel
E-mail contact[edit | edit source]
- deror_avi @ yahoo.com
Session type[edit | edit source]
Each Space at Wikimania 2019 will have specific format requests. The program design prioritises submissions which are future-oriented and directly engage the audience. The format of this submission is a:
- Lecture
Length of session[edit | edit source]
If other than 20 minutes, specify how long
- 30 min
Supporting work[edit | edit source]
Optional:
Requirements[edit | edit source]
The session will work best with these conditions:
- Room:
A lecture hall, a projector + screen
- Audience:
All attendees (newbi's and veterans)
- Recording:
Appropriate for filming by a single fixed-location camera, sharable on the internet, with a free-licence.
- Date:
Please not on Shabath (not on Saturday)