PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Gender gap on Wikipedia

Women and Wikipedia: Analysis of the gender gap

2024-03-05
(Press-News.org) Since it was created in 2001, Wikipedia has become a key element of the modern public sphere, which has revolutionized the way we create and share information. However, it has defects when it comes to its decentralization and flexibility, specially regarding inclusion and diversity.

Some gender biases that stand out are shown in its content and its editorial participation. It has a low percentage of women’s biographies and an unequal representation in editing. Also, there are gaps in the gender representation regarding its content, biases in editing and participation, as well as imbalances in readership.

These are the main conclusions of a study published in the journal Profesional de la Información, which has undergone a bibliographic analysis of Wikipedia from 2007 to 2022. The study was carried out by Núria Ferran and Juan José Boté, lecturers at the Faculty of Information and Audiovisual Media of the University of Barcelona, And Julià Minguillon, lecturer of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunications at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).

The study is part of the Women and Wikipedia: Analysis of the Gender Gap in the Co-Production of Knowledge in the Wikipedias of Spain (W&W) project, and it is funded by the I&D&R National plan of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI).

Núria Ferran, principal researcher of the project, says there are three lines of work in the literature that has studied the phenomenon for fifteen years and that explains this gender gap on Wikipedia: “We called one of the lines ‘women’s problem’,  in which the stereotypical characteristics of women are blamed when it comes to participating in the public sphere. The other line is ‘the mirror effect’, in which Wikipedia is blamed for the gap, as it simply reflects the existing bias in society due to its principle of encouraging all content in external information funds. And finally, with the position we identify with in our project, there is the systemic problem line, identified by Heather Ford and Judith Wajcman, in which they blame the original community, rooted in the encyclopaedic and open culture, which may hide an exclusionary practice”.

The descriptive analysis of the study examines the authorship of the articles, the involved academic disciplines, the institutional affiliations and the location of the research staff involved in the studies. It also analyses the approach of the articles, and analyses chronologically the production of the documents. The content analysis of the articles reveals academic findings in three main areas: gender bias in content, in edition and contribution, and in the number of readers.

The article provides a detailed view of the gender gap on Wikipedia and it stresses the importance of addressing this problem to guarantee a more equal and diverse platform. It presents strategies to address this issue, with special emphasis on improving the visibility of women editors, promoting constructive comments and a more inclusive community.

Ferran believes that “the solution is found by approaching the phenomenon as a systemic problem. Therefore, we need to bring long-term strategic solutions. We need to diversify contributions and admit that the hierarchical collaborative model on Wikipedia reinforces the dominant voices, leaving out the non-dominant ones”. “If Wikipedia does not change its culture of knowledge of co-production — the expert continues —, women and other minority groups will remain on the margin. Therefore, the aim is not only to reduce the bias by increasing content on women, but also making Wikipedia a more robust, reliable and transparent platform to co-produce knowledge. This holistic approach is essential for a lasting change”.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scientists to study real-world eating behaviors using wearable sensors and artificial intelligence

2024-03-05
A pedometer measures your steps, but what if you had a similar automated device to measure your eating behavior? Evidence from nutritional studies has long shown that the speed, timing and duration of an individual’s eating behavior are strongly related to obesity and other health issues. While eating behaviors can be accurately measured in a controlled laboratory setting, a blind spot exists when researchers attempt to study how participants actually eat “in the wild.” A new National Institutes ...

Radioguided surgery accurately detects and removes metastatic lymph nodes in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients

Radioguided surgery accurately detects and removes metastatic lymph nodes in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients
2024-03-05
Reston, VA — Radioguided surgery can detect and remove metastatic pelvic lymph nodes in patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to research published in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), which is overexpressed in most prostate cancer patients, radioguided surgery can improve nodal staging to guide treatment recommendations for this important patient population. In newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients, nodal involvement correlates with recurrence, and determining if lymph node metastases are present and where they ...

Aluminum nanoparticles make tunable green catalysts

Aluminum nanoparticles make tunable green catalysts
2024-03-05
HOUSTON – (March 5, 2024) – Catalysts unlock pathways for chemical reactions to unfold at faster and more efficient rates, and the development of new catalytic technologies is a critical part of the green energy transition. The Rice University lab of nanotechnology pioneer Naomi Halas has uncovered a transformative approach to harnessing the catalytic power of aluminum nanoparticles by annealing them in various gas atmospheres at high temperatures. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Rice ...

Electrolyte cation types control electrochemical reactions on an electrode surface

Electrolyte cation types control electrochemical reactions on an electrode surface
2024-03-05
1. An international research group consisting of NIMS and the Finnish University of Jyväskylä has discovered through its electrode-electrolyte system research that electron and proton (i.e., hydrogen ion) transfer mechanisms during oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) on electrode surfaces vary depending on the types of cations dissolved in the electrolytic solution. These results suggest that the energy conversion efficiencies and selectivity of electrochemical systems (e.g., fuel cells and water electrolysis hydrogen production systems) can be improved by selecting optimal reaction pathways and that this could be achieved without using expensive electrode ...

The dangers of misaligned product co-development contracts—and how they can derail innovation in high-tech firms

2024-03-05
Researchers from Mansoura University and University of Guelph published a new Journal of Marketing study that examines how misaligned contracts can erode innovation outcomes of high-tech firms. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “Collaborating to Innovate: Balancing Strategy Dividend and Transactional Efficiencies” and is authored by Nehal Elhelaly and Sourav Ray. When a giant multinational like Unilever partners with one of its major suppliers, such as the industrial enzyme-producer Novozyme, the collaboration can fast-track ...

New publication highlights urgency of parasitic wasp release to save native bird 

New publication highlights urgency of parasitic wasp release to save native bird 
2024-03-05
DENVER/March 5, 2024 – Researchers with the University of Minnesota, funded by Morris Animal Foundation, hope to release highly-specialized parasitic wasps to serve as a biological control method to save Darwin’s finches from a dire threat: the invasive avian vampire fly, Philornis downsi.  This species has been devastating finch populations on the Galapagos Islands by laying eggs in their nests, with the emerging larvae harming the nestlings.   To protect these iconic birds and other endemic species impacted by the fly, ...

Tiny worms tolerate chornobyl radiation

Tiny worms tolerate chornobyl radiation
2024-03-05
The 1986 disaster at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant transformed the surrounding area into the most radioactive landscape on Earth. Humans were evacuated, but many plants and animals continue to live in the region, despite the high levels of radiation that persist nearly four decades later.   A new study led by researchers at New York University finds that exposure to chronic radiation from Chornobyl has not damaged the genomes of microscopic worms living there today—which doesn’t mean that the region is safe, the scientists caution, but suggests that these worms are exceptionally resilient.   In ...

Restoration of degraded areas in semi-arid region contributes to ‘return’ of soil microorganisms, study shows

Restoration of degraded areas in semi-arid region contributes to ‘return’ of soil microorganisms, study shows
2024-03-05
Strategies deployed for the restoration of degraded land have had promising results in Brazil’s semi-arid region, improving the microbial properties of the soil and contributing to a return of native ecosystem services. The techniques include removal of cattle or restriction of their access to specific areas of pasture; cultivation of cover crops; and terracing to control erosion. Recovery of soil microbial properties maintains biodiversity and raises crop yields, contributing to agricultural ...

New research details negative consumer impacts of BLM support on major companies and brands

2024-03-05
INFORMS Journal Marketing Science New Study Key Takeaways: Brands that supported BLM on social media during the height of the movement suffered negative impacts on social media. Negative impacts were felt from both Democratic and Republican consumers. The ‘bandwagon effect’ was one of the more significant factors. Some brands with more historical prosocial posting on social media and socially oriented missions suffer less from the negative effects and may even benefit from supporting ...

Having self-control leads to power

2024-03-05
Out-of-control behavior by CEOs and other powerful people constantly makes headlines – so much so that some might consider impulsivity a pathway to power. New research from the UC San Diego Rady School of Management and Texas A&M University finds that having self-control is often what leads to power. In a paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers find that showing self-control influences how powerful an individual is perceived to be by their peers, as well as how much power they are granted by those peers. In a series of seven experiments with roughly 3,500 participants, both students ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Hormone therapy affects the metabolic health of transgender individuals

Survey of 12 European countries reveals the best and worst for smoke-free homes

First new treatment for asthma attacks in 50 years

Certain HRT tablets linked to increased heart disease and blood clot risk

Talking therapy and rehabilitation probably improve long covid symptoms, but effects modest

Ban medical research with links to the fossil fuel industry, say experts

Different menopausal hormone treatments pose different risks

Novel CAR T cell therapy obe-cel demonstrates high response rates in adult patients with advanced B-cell ALL

Clinical trial at Emory University reveals twice-yearly injection to be 96% effective in HIV prevention

Discovering the traits of extinct birds

Are health care disparities tied to worse outcomes for kids with MS?

For those with CTE, family history of mental illness tied to aggression in middle age

The sound of traffic increases stress and anxiety

Global food yields have grown steadily during last six decades

Children who grow up with pets or on farms may develop allergies at lower rates because their gut microbiome develops with more anaerobic commensals, per fecal analysis in small cohort study

North American Early Paleoindians almost 13,000 years ago used the bones of canids, felids, and hares to create needles in modern-day Wyoming, potentially to make the tailored fur garments which enabl

Higher levels of democracy and lower levels of corruption are associated with more doctors, independent of healthcare spending, per cross-sectional study of 134 countries

In major materials breakthrough, UVA team solves a nearly 200-year-old challenge in polymers

Wyoming research shows early North Americans made needles from fur-bearers

Preclinical tests show mRNA-based treatments effective for blinding condition

Velcro DNA helps build nanorobotic Meccano

Oceans emit sulfur and cool the climate more than previously thought

Nanorobot hand made of DNA grabs viruses for diagnostics and blocks cell entry

Rare, mysterious brain malformations in children linked to protein misfolding, study finds

Newly designed nanomaterial shows promise as antimicrobial agent

Scientists glue two proteins together, driving cancer cells to self-destruct

Intervention improves the healthcare response to domestic violence in low- and middle-income countries

State-wide center for quantum science: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology joins IQST as a new partner

Cellular traffic congestion in chronic diseases suggests new therapeutic targets

Cervical cancer mortality among US women younger than age 25

[Press-News.org] Gender gap on Wikipedia
Women and Wikipedia: Analysis of the gender gap